Keepers of the Farplane
by mysterious digidreamer
Summary: XAurikkuX Rikku thought she knew all there was to know about herself. Until everything changed when Rikku learns something that had been kept secret for several years. with the aid of a certain guardian she goes on a journey to search for the answers to
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X

_(**Author's note:** It's been awhile since I put up any new stories because I've been focused on Final Fantasy X: Edited. But don't worry people, I'm still going to be working on it while I work on this one!) _

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* * *

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**Chapter One: Happy Birthday Rikku! **

The frozen night winds of the Sanubia desert caused her to shiver uncontrobally as she staggered around in the moon-lit sand. The desert was like that. She knew. Unbearably hot in the day, nearly below freezing at night. Being in a cloak that was soaked throughly with water was not helpping her either. In fact her heavy wet cloak, and the heavy sword in her left hand, and the bundel of cloth that she cradeled closly to her body with her right hand was slowing her up a bit. She was also bleeding pretty badly, so she was becoming too weak to move anymore.

Before the last of her strength gave way, she stummbled upon a large building in the middle of the desert. The lights out infront of its entrance, nearly blinded her as she stumbbled closer to them. Before collasping to the ground, she could see the shadowed forms of two people. Their panicked Al Bhed voices were so far away to her, as she looked weakly up at them.

Soon one of the two took off. He returned sometime later with another man. Her vision was just clear enough to see this man. He was a stern looking man, with a tattoo on the side of his bald head. His green Al Bhed eyes didn't seem phased by all that was going on.like the other two around him were.

Seeing this, The woman felt sort of comforted.

"_What's your name_."

She looked up at the man weakly, saying nothing for a moment. Soon she found the strength to speak. Her voice was a small whisper, that floated gently away with the breeze of the destert as it left her mouth.

"_Sora_."

The man nodded. He turned to the two men, to tell them to start healing up her wounds. He was trying to keep Sora calm by asking her questions. "_Where are you from_?" He asked. Calmly taking hold of her hand, for her to squeeze if she felt any pain.

"_I'm of the Shinda tribe. We are gypsies_." Sora breathed out. Her hand tightened around this mand's hand, as her wound was touched by the gloved hands of the other two.

She hugged the bundel of cloth closer to her gently.

"_How did you end up here, when did you get shot_?" The man asked. His calmness rising to a bit of a curiosity. He didn't know what Sora was talking about. The Shinda tribe? He had never heard of it in his life! He was also rather curious about the bundel that this woman was holding. Also. He was definately starting to get curious on how this woman had ended up shot.

For all that he knew, only the Al Bhed used machina.

"_I was shot in Bevelle. A warrior monk shot me. I fell into the water, and washed up here, it all happened a few hours ago_." Sora said. Her voice becoming fainter.

"_My daughter, thankfully didn't get hurt. I on the other hand._." She said. She gave a weak laugh, and looked down at the bundel in her arms.

"_What's her name, Sora_?" The man asked curiously.

Sora smiled weakly. "_Her name is_..." She began.

* * *

"_BEEEP! BEEEP! BEEEP!_"

This drove Rikku out of her sleep. She was kind of captivated by a dream she had. After this dream (which she had had more than once), she always wondered if Sora was going to be alright, and what the child's name had been. She always thought that it was a vital bit of information to know the daughter's name. She felt it would help her understand the dreams she had, more.

She also wondered why these dreams felt so real to her. They were just dreams after all. Right?

Rikku didn't know. It all felt real. The coldness of the air. The pain. The feeling of the wet cloth. over her body. _All_ of it felt unaturally real.

She looked around groggily, slammed the "Off" button on her alarm, then got to her feet and frowned as she looked up at the calander. October 13th, Friday the 13th. Rikku gave a breif laugh. What luck it was for your 19th birthday, to fall on the unluckiest day of the year?

Rikku was offically 19 years old. An adult in Al Bhed terms. But Rikku didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to think about being any older. She didn't want to think about her birthday.

* * *

She didn't want to think about the plans that She and the other guardians and Yuna had made for that night.

As she reached blindly into her closet and dresser for clothing, she shook her head. She really didn't feel up to faking that she was alright today. She didn't feel like giveing a forced smiled and laugh as she hung around with Yuna, Tidus, Lulu and Wakka.

To be quiet honest, eversince Tidus had come back, Rikku was more irritated by all her friends.

Everytime she thought about how Yuna and Tidus were back together she couldn't help that anger started welling up inside her. Rikku was alone now. No one knew how she felt about not having anyone.

For awhile, Yuna and Paine, her two best friends, had been the only people that she could relate to. Both of them had been single with her.

But now, things were diffrent. Yuna was happily married to Tidus, with one kid one the way. Paine was dating Gippal, (an Al Bhed who Rikku had sort of had a crush on forawhile.) Which left Rikku by herself.

Rikku slammed her fist down on the dresser as she stood there. She hated it! Why was it, that everyone else got to be happy? But she always seemed to be passed up?

"Maybe it has something to do with your birthday." She said sarcastically to herself, as she withdrew her clothing from the dresser and closet.

She frowned and then headed toward the bathroom. Shedding her pajamas as she walked and just leaving them were they fell. This had always irritated people, she knew that. She also knew that she probably _should_ be more neater.

She glanced around at her small, cheap, one bedroom apartment in Luca. For only 150 gil a month, it was a pretty decent apartment. Everything, the water, the heat, and the air and the electricty worked just fine.

There were no cracks in the floor, or walls, that Rikku could see. (she wasn't so sure. she really hadn't checked every inch of the apartment, eventhough she had been living there for the last 2 years.) Aside from all that, the place was a total mess.

Spheres and garment grids that she had collected in her Sphere hunting days. were strewn all over the floor and on the desks. Newspaper clippings from _several _years back were scattered here and there on her desk.

Her old scarf, was thrown over the back of a chair, slighlty unravelling. Her shoes were up against the coffee table. Her weapons were also laying on the ground. (she had been meaning to hang some of those up on the wall.) and among all of this commotion. leaned up against the wall, was Masamune.

Sir Auron's favorite katana.

Rikku had come into possession of this weapon, months ago. She had found it washed ashore in Zanarkand, the last time she went and visted, on the anniverisary of the beginning of the Eternal Calm. It was half buried in the dirt when she accidentally tripped over the handle.

She couldn't believe it was the same weapon at first.

* * *

Of course Masamune, Auron had told her once when she has asked him about why he liked that weapon so much, was the only katana in creation that was styled like that.

Auron's grandfather had crafted the blade for him before passing away. Auron had probably been very close with his grandfather ,Rikku guess, so Masamune was proabably like a momento that Auron had of his grandfather. It was unique and irreplaceable.

There wasn't any weapon in Spira that was like it, and there never would be.

Unless of course you counted, the weapon that Rikku had used while in her Dark-Knight outfit. But even that wasn't _exactly_ like Auron's weapon. There were major differneces in both of them.

* * *

Rikku gave a small smile as she looked at the weapon. She couldn't help but do that everytime she saw that weapon leaning there like that.

It made her feel like Auron was there, leaning up against the wall, like he did on the Airship 4 years ago, looking disapprovingly at the mess. Ready to start in on a lecture about how Rikku was old enough to start to learn to clean up after herself, or something.

Of course. Auron couldn't be there, Rikku reminded herself as she stepped into the shower and turned the hot-water on, to begin the pre-afternoon-plans activity of bathing, Auron was dead.

Well Okay, he had always been the "dead guy" to her. She had met him during his time as an unsent. So what she really ment was, Auron couldn't be there because he was on the Farplane.

Rikku frowned as she lathered up her long, golden hair with some shampoo that gave off the scent of Lavander and vanilla.

She always felt so bad when she thought about Auron's death. For some reason she couldn't help but feel personally resposible for the Elder Guardian's departure to the Farplane, and for his death in general.

Rikku knew it was silly really. Auron had left for the Farplane because he had no more promises to keep in Spira, and because he felt it had been long enough. He felt that it was time for him to rest in peace. Auron's death? Well that, Rikku knew, was Yunalesca (or her ghost's) fault. She had murdered Auron 14 years ago.

As the soap from the shampoo, was washed from her hair and ran down her tan body, and swirlled around her feet in soapy currents of hot water, she felt a little bit angry with herself.

She just sort of wished she had been abit quicker to realize that, despite Auron being old enough to be her father and being dead, Rikku really liked Auron alot. She just wished she had told him sooner.

Rikku inhaled the steam, letting the relaxing lavander scent carry mind back to 4 years ago.

* * *

There they all were on the airship, just about to go and defeat Sin. The orange evening light filted in through the cracks in the door leading out into the hallway. Rikku could just see Auron standing there leaning up against the wall.

The lights in the hallway's pinkish purple glow casted shadows on Auron's form. Making him look even more mysterious and cool than ever. Rikku approached him in her usually bouncy and energetic manner.

He looked up at her over his shades. His deep brown eye evaluating the look on Rikku's face, that he could see in this light. He then gave her his oh-so-famous death-glare, that was a sign to get lost. A sign that Rikku normally ignored.

"_What do you want_?" Auron finally asked after a few minutes, seeing how Rikku wasn't going to leave him alone.

Rikku's face was really warm out of embarrassemnt. She was really glad that there really wasn't much light in this room. Yevon only knows how pink her face was becoming, or how badly she was shaking.

"_U-um. Auron. Can..I talk to you for a.uhm. minute about s-something?"_She asked. Man, he was gonna know something was up, just by listening to her voice.

Thankfully though, Auron didn't say anything about it. He just seemed to over look the Al Bhed girl's stuttering voice.

Rikku took Auron's sclience as a signal to go ahead and talk.

"_Well..you see. um. We've been travelling together alot and I think that um...I...It..it's really sorta of embarrassing to say this._.." Rikku began. Her voice shaking terribly as she stuttered out her words.

* * *

Rikku's mind brought her back to the shower.

She hadn't told him. Before the words had left her mouth, they both were called to the bridge as they started to final showdown with Sin. Rikku didn't have anytime to tell Auron during the battle, and she was afraid of telling him infront of the others.

However when she had worked up the courage to tell him, he was already heading for the Farplane.

Rikku brushed some of her soaking wet hair over her shoulder.

* * *

As she did this, her eyes fell upon her her right wrist. A strange birth-mark was on that wrist. It was in the shape that looked more like a bruise than anything else.

A bruise almost in the shapes a skull, a diamond, a circle and a crescent moon. Rikku wasn't sure what these were, but she knew it had to have been some sort of birth-mark since it never had healed up, in all the time that Rikku was aware of it being there.

Rikku shrugged it off. Sure, she was curious about it, but it really never bothered her, and it wasn't going to kill her, so she didn't mind it.

* * *

As she stepped out of the shower, and wrapped a fuzzy green towel around herself she sighed. She flicked on the blow-dryer and then started dying her hair off.

Glancing at the clock in the bathroom as she did this she frowned. Yuna would be there in a minutes, so that she and Lulu could take her birth-day shopping. Rikku groaned.

Birthday shopping used to be fun. Now it was just a pain. She was merely just dragged from store to store, with her cousin, her black-mage friend, and her sphere-hunter friend, being forced to try on clothing, and look at stupid stuff that Rikku couldn't have cared less about.

...and then the chatter between the other three. It was always nothing but.. "Tidus' is so wonderful.." or "Wakka was so sweet because he did (insert word here) for me." and "Gippal and I..."

Blah! It made Rikku want to throw up. She didn't care how wonderful or sweet the other guys were, or how happy her friends were with them. She didn't want to hear it! It wouldn't have bothered her so much if Auron and her were together, and she could join in on the conversations.

Oh, yeah...Rikku thought. It's gonna be a little bit worse probably this year. Yuna's mother and Father, and Tidus's mother and father had returned from the Farplane, a few months ago, for some reason.

This year Rikku's Aunt and her Aunt-in-law were going to be tagging along with them.

* * *

Rikku remembered something. The guys were planning her party, while she was out shopping. She couldn't wait to see what type of party they'd come up with!

A bunch of _guys_ planning a 19 year old _girl'_s birthday party. The thought made Rikku laugh. She could only imagin how odd her party was going to be.

Atleast, she was hoping, Tidus and them won't have the party be too frilly, and pink like it would have been if..oh let's say, Yuna, had planned it.

Once Rikku had dried and brushed out her hair and put it up in the regular ponytail, she slipped into the clothing she had chose for that day. She then glanced at the clock one more time.

Yuna would be here right...about...now.

* * *

Sure enough, the doorbell rang, just as Rikku predicted it would. Yuna was never a second late for anything, especially not a so-called day of "fun" with her cousin, and her friends.

Rikku answered the door, and faked the most cheerful grin she could manage.

"Yunie! Lulu! Paine! Aunt Alice! Aunt Catherine! I'm so happy to see you all!" She said in a super sugary, but false, voice, as she opened the door to see the four women standing there.

"Come in. Don't mind the mess." She said as she led them inside.

"Rikku, happy birthday!" Yuna said cheerfully, withdrawing a package from her purse, and handed it to Rikku before sitting down on the couch, and putting her hand on her pregnant stomach.

She gave a huge smile as Rikku looked curiously at the lumpy package wrapped in shimmering pink paper.

* * *

"Go on, open it!" Yuna said nodding to Rikku, then looking around at the smirky faces of everyone else.

Rikku carefully tore the paper apart. Sitting down in her favorite green chair as she did so. She held up the obect.

Rikku wanted to throw up. What sorta prank was this? Talk about ugly dresses that had too many frills and lace on them.

Why this dress was noting but pink lace and frills,and the largest most puffed out skirt she had ever seen.! Rikku was suprised it didn't come with a frilly bonnet, and a shephards staff. What is this, Rikku thought, a Little Bo-peep costume?

She glanced over the top of the fabric to Yuna and the others. Smirks set on all there faces. "Ah..Thanks guys. It's really..._pretty_." She lied in a false sweet voice so that she didn't upset Yuna, or the others, by making it all too obvious that she hated it.

Yuna bursted out laughing. "No, no! Rikku! that's just a gag gift! We'll return it to the costume shop while we're out shopping today. The real gift was under that extra paper we put in there!" She said.

Rikku couldn't help but turn a little pink. She set the awful disaster called a dress aside and then took the other paper out slowly. As she did this, her eyes widened in pure shock. As she brought this article of clothing up out of the box to look at it, she couldn't believe it.

* * *

It looked just how she remembered it only cleaner. It felt the same. Rikku held it to her nose. well, it smelt more like laundry soap than anything, but Rikku could just make out the fimilar scent that it used to carry.

But there was no way! Rikku wanted to sort of cry. She now held in her hands, another reminder of Auron. His, now cleaner, red coat.

Looking up at them now, all of them could tell that Rikku was amazed by this gift. They could tell it really ment something to her. "Go, on...put it on! That's what you have it for!" Alice said with a smile on her face, she gave a wink to the others.

Rikku glanced over to Masamune. She wasn't sure if Auron would approve of her wearing his coat. It was his after all.

Was it right to wear the belongings of a dead person? Wouldn't that count as disrepect? Rikku didn't want to disrepect Auron's memory. She then looked to Alice and Catherine, uncertainly.

Their looks seemed to tell her "You don't have to if you don't want to."

Rikku got up, and walked over to Masamune. She draped the crimson coat over her shoulders.. "I hope you won't mind." she whispered. She then smiled. and looked around.

* * *

"So, are we ready to go?" She asked, with a smile.

They all got to their feet, and headed for the door. Rikku was trailing behind them. As she walked out the door, she gave a last glance to Masamune. "Keep and eye on this place alright?" She thought as she closed the door.

* * *

Meanwhile. the guys were setting up for the party, in a small place that they had rented just for the night.

Looking around at the progress that had been made since 10 o'clock that morning, all the guys were feeling rather pleased with themselves. They were exxited about the party tonight. Rikku deserved a great 19th birthday party. With all the suprises they had planned for that night, they all could just feel that this would be one birthday party that Rikku would never forget.

They knew they had a really good suprise planned for Rikku, one that she'd never expect, but would be all too glad for it to have happend.

Little did the others know, Cid had a big suprise for Rikku that was going to have quiet the same effect, except that he knew, Rikku might not be so accepting of the news he had to tell her.

All that was certain right now was that Rikku would never forget this party.

_Never_ in her whole life.

* * *

(_And so there is chapter one. What do you think of it? really random, I bet. I hope that you liked it. Review me and tell me what you think! Uh..and by the way, please try to ignore most of my spelling errors_.) 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X

**Chapter 2: A little panic before a party.**

So far this whole day of shopping was doing nothing for Rikku but giving her a headache. She couldn't rememeber how many types of purfume had been shoved under her nose for her to sniff. Or how many times she had heard. "Oh how cute!" from Yuna's mouth.

The only thing that was really helpping her survive this day, she was wearing. She kept wondering if Masamune washing up on the Zanarkand coast-line and Auron's jacket being given to her as a birthday present ment anything at all?

Could Auron be back from the Farplane, and be giving out little hints about him being back? Rikku knew that was possible, since Masamune and his coat were two things among all others that he had taken with him to the Farplane. Them being here in Spira now, might be a sign that the rest of Auron was here in Spira too.

That, or this was all just a series of conicidences that was really just getting Rikku's hopes up for no reason.

Well whatever the reason, Rikku would find out sooner or later. Deep down inside Rikku hoped it would be soon. That way, if this was a sign that Auron was back, she'd get to see him again and not be kept wondering for a long time.

If it was just a set of conicidence, then Rikku wouldn't have to deal with having her hopes getting up too high, and then painfully being crushed.

* * *

"You know we should buy you a dress for this party tonight! One that'll attract attention for sure! Something that screams 'sexy' but not too showy because we don't want you tryin' to steal our husbands and boyfriends away." Catherine said with a laugh.

Rikku giggled. Catherine, Tidus's mother, was probably the only person that could make Rikku laugh for real. She was really the only person that Rikku didn't feel annoyed by.

Catherine knew how Rikku felt, or at least Rikku thought Catherine knew how she felt. She had probably gone through the same thing when Jecht came to Spira. She probably knew how it was to want that certain someone there with you, knowing that they couldn't be.

"Oh! You know I'm more of a single, dead ex-warrior monk/ledgendary guardian type of gal!" She said with a real laugh and a nautral smile, and a wink. Things she had not done in quiet a while.

Paine crossed her arms and gave a small smirk. "Well..looks like we all have nothing to worry about." She said as she looked into one of the shop windows.

Yuna, out of nowhere, took hold of Rikku's arm and dragged her towards the dress shop.

Before Rikku knew it she was in the middle of the dress shop at the Luca mall, staring at literally _millions_ of dresses, trying to figure out which one she wanted to try. Listening to the others tell her what dress they thought looked good on her.

* * *

"Ooh! Rikku! This green-one really matches your eyes!" Yuna said cheerfully holding up a bright green strapless dress that, just by looking at it Rikku could immedately tell that, with high-heels, she'd have a broken leg in no time.

Of course, Rikku didn't have much of a problem, with this dress at all. (I mean aside from how it looked.) It was just that now Yuna and Paine were arguing over it.

Giving a slight groan, Rikku snuck off to find a dress _she_ liked. Suprisingly it didn't take long at all.

Before she knew it, she came across a lovely strapless black dress that, just by looking at it would stop just above her knees. She gave a slight smile as she looked at the price tag. (1400 gil. That wasn't so bad, considering that her weapons had cost _way_ more than that.) and then took it from the rack and queitly slipped into the dressing room.

This dress will go perfectly with Auron's jacket!

* * *

"I was just saying that the color really brought out her eyes!" Yuna said impatiently to Paine as Rikku came out of the dressing room.

"What you want her to look like a frog?" Paine asked curiosly.

"I wasn't saying that she had to wear it! It was just a suggestion!" Yuna said putting her hands on her hips.

"Um. Guys..you can quit fighting now. I've already found a dress." Rikku said attracting their attention to her.

* * *

"Oh, wow!" Alice breathed out in amazement as she looked at her neice.

"Rikku!" Catherine said with a light sigh.

Yuna and Paine both nodded in agreement as they looked at their sphere-hunter buddy. This dress was definately something.

* * *

You really couldn't tell by just looking at Rikku before she had the dress on, with the baggy clothing that she now normally wore, but Rikku really had the type of body for that dress in particular. It wasn't too loose, or too tight in certain area, and it definately looked like Rikku could breath and move in it.

Ontop of that she looked just plain out like a grown-up woman!

Rikku felt a little embarrassed. Sure this dress was great and all. I mean afterall, she had picked it out herself. But it had been awhile since she had wore anything that showed off her body. Within the past few years, Rikku could always be seen wearing a pair of blue-jeans that were a bit loose on her and a large dark-green t-shirt that she could have practially wore as a dress.

She wasn't sure if she was ready to spend an evening wearing something that showed off her figure just yet.

Well, Rikku reminded herself, you _do_ have Auron's jacket to cover up with if you start to feel embarrassed about being seen in this dress! She gave a mental smile to that.

Rikku returned into the dressing room. She put the dress back onto the hanger, then changed back into her clothes. As she walked up to the counter. She glanced at her armband on her right wrist.

It's gonna be kind of hard to cover the birthmark up, tonight. Rikku knew that this dress would _not_ look good with gloves! Rikku found it rather suprising but she never realized that she always covered up her wrists to hide that birthmark. She didn't know why. There was nothing wrong with it. It just looked odd that's all.

_ Again, Rikku, you have Auron's jacket to use to cover up that birthmark!_ She told herself as soon as the thought about hiding her birthmark came to her mind. Wow, Auron's jacket could be used to cover up alot!

* * *

After purchasing the dress and waiting for Yuna and the others to purchase the dresses that they were going to wear that night. They did a little more shopping before deciding it was time to get a bite to eat.

Of course, Paine knew this nice little restaurant in the mall, that she had come to with Gippal a few times, that served all kinds of foods. So they ate there for lunch.

During lunch both Yuna and Paine left for the bathroom, leaving Catherine, and Alice alone with Rikku. A sclience had set in among them all.

Rikku frowned and looked the table. This would have been a great place to show Auron. Auron would have just loved being in this peaceful atmosphere.

Oh right, he was in a more peaceful atmosphere now, the Farplane. Rikku thought. She shook her head. The feeling of guilt arose in her, causing a lump to form in her throat, making it hard to swallow, or breath. She looked at the coat that she wore.

* * *

Suddenly, she realized she must have fallen asleep or something. Her mind had landed her in Bevelle. Sora was there, holding her daughter, who was wrapped up in cloth, like normal. She was singing lightly to the girl, as a breeze carried cherry blossoms as it blew by. Her sword was in one hand.

The click of a gun filled her ears. Sora turned her head to see a few warrior monks standing a few yards away from her. One of them had a gun pointed at her, ready to fire.

Sora backed up and held the bundel closer to her. She started muttering stuff in a language that even Rikku didn't understand. The one of voice she had notified Rikku that she was not pleading for her life. It sounded more like she was threatening them in some foreign language. Her eyes were narrowed upon the one who held the gun.

This man, Rikku could tell, there was something just plain out odd about him. First off, there was just his general appearance. Rikku couldn't quiet place her finger on what was so odd about this man's face (or atleast what she could see of it from under the helmet).

Also there was the fact that he heistated to shoot. His hands were shaking terribly. Then his eyes closed tight, and a grimace came across his face, and he squeezed the trigger on the gun.

The bullet tore-through the air, peircing Sora's chest. As she fell over backward, she tripped over the edge of the bridge, falling into the water below, with a scream.

As the other warrior monks walked away, Rikku could see the one who had shot Sora, walk toward the edge of the bridge. he looked down into the water where Sora had fallen. He hung his head, and looked at the gun in his hand.

Glaring, and obviously angery with himself for having just murdered someone innocent, he tossed the machina weapon into the water. It landed with a soft splash, and sank to the bottom to spend eternity rusting.

* * *

"Rikku!" Yuna's voice shouted, breaking through Rikku's thought, bringing her back to reality. It felt like waking up although, her eyes had been open the whole time.

"Huh?" She asked looking around at them all. Paine and Yuna had returned from the bathroom, they now wore freaked out looks on their faces, as well did Catherine and Alice.

"Rikku, are you alright?" Alice asked curiously as she looked at Rikku. Her Al Bhed eyes were alight with curiosity and worry.

"Yeah, you really freaked us out! Mom said that you were sitting here one minute looking at the table, then your face went blank, and you started speaking in a really weird voice. That's when we got here, and you were glaring all evil-like, and saying some really weird stuff in something that sounded like Al Bhed only a bit diffrent. Then you just quit, and your head fell to your chest, and you just started staring again." Yuna said in a panicky voice, as she looked worriedly at her cousin.

Rikku shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm sure it was nothing. I was just having a daydream..that's all."

Yuna and the other four exchanged worried looks. It wasn't like someone to act the way that Rikku did, just because she had a daydream!

"Are you sure?" Paine asked feeling Rikku's forehead. Rikku was looking a bit pale, sick, and she was sweating really badly. Her skin felt cold and clammy.

"I-I'm fine..I'm alright, really." Rikku said pulling her head away from Paine's hand. She turned and looked away from the staring eyes of the others. She knew what was going on. She knew what she did. It happened a lot lately.

Especially when her mind would drift off to her "dreams" with Sora and her daughter. She'd end up repeating everything that Sora would say in that foreign language.

The other four casted worried looks to each other, but decided to say nothing else about it. They knew that Rikku didn't want them worrying so much about this one incident.

After lunch was over, they went back to shopping, the whole incident that had occurred in the restaurant had left all of their memories.

* * *

Except Rikku's. She spent the rest of the day lost in thought over her dream. Who was that monk? Why did he seem so different from the others? I bet he lived in regret of having shot Sora. Why did he pull the trigger, if he felt so hesitant about shooting Sora in the first place? What was Sora saying?

What did it matter to her? Rikku wondered this thought a few hours after the other ones had looped around in her mind a few times. Sora wasn't Rikku's problem!

She wasn't real...or was she?

If she was, then it had already happened (this being assumed since, the warrior monks of Yevon no-longer existed and now New Yevon was in there place, so you didn't see many warrior monks running around.) and it didn't concern Rikku the least bit!

Of course, if Sora was a figment of Rikku's imagination, then Rikku could consult her own mind about her own questions. She could fill in the gaps herself. For instance, Rikku thought, let's assume Sora is fake and start from there. The warrior monks name could be Steve. Sora could have been telling then to stay away from her, and the guy had pulled the trigger beacuse of peer-pressure..or something like that. See? Why bother asking questions when you could fill in the answers yourself?

* * *

Rikku gave a slight giggle to her own thoughts as she followed Yuna and the others around. After they passed a decorations store, Rikku's mind shot right back to the party.

The guys were always known for planning fun events. Rikku never doubted that. But Rikku knew, no matter how much fun she had on her 19th birthday, she just wanted _all _of her fellow guardians/friends to be together.

There would always be that one empty place, at any gathering where Auron belonged. Seeing it would always remind Rikku of him, and bring a tear to her eye.

Sometimes, especially after Auron's sending, Rikku refused to believe that Auron had really gone away. She'd get mad at people who told her otherwise. Sometimes, even now, she'd refuse to believe it Auron was gone.

Maybe she didn't want to accept it because she wasn't ready to let him be just a memory. Maybe she was just relenting that she never got to tell Auron how she felt.

Whenever she'd go back to places that brought back memories of Auron, (namely the Moonflow, Guadosalam, The Thunderplains, Macalania, Bevelle, The Calm Lands, Mount Gagazet, and Zanarkand. Wow, Rikku didn't quiet realize just how many places held memories of Auron!) Her heart would start pounding in her chest, and all of her memories would flood into her mind at once.

It was overwhelming really.

* * *

Feelings like that, ment that she was connected with Auron somehow. Atleast, that's what she had said whenever Yuna had been describing the feeling to her and Paine, back before Tidus came back.

Another silent laugh issued from Rikku's mouth as she was dropped off at her apartment to get ready for the party. Tidus would be by to pick her up around 7:30.

She had told Yuna that she had felt that way too about someone. Neither of them guessed it was Auron that she had felt that way about! Paine and Yuna both had been guessing that It was Gippal! Yeah, _right._

* * *

Stepping inside her apartment after unlocking the door, she yawned.

"What a day Masamu-----_huh_?" Rikku began. But she cut off after turning on the lights and looking toward where the sword was. Or aleast toward where it was _suppossed _to be.

Masamune was gone!

Rikku threw her stuff, and Auron's jacket onto the couch and then started to search the appartment.

"_Oh, please don't tell me someone stole it! Oh, please don't tell me someone stole it! Oh, please...oh please, be here somewhere_!" Rikku caught herself saying in a squeeky-panic stricken voice as she dashed around the apartment, upturning the mess that was already there to search for Masamune.

"_Auron's gonna kill me...Auron's gonna kill me! He's dead, but he's gonna kill me_!" Rikku groaned as she sank down onto the floor. Tears were spilling from her eyes. How could she have let this happen? She could feel her whole body shaking as she cried. She felt terror inside her.

* * *

"_How could you, Rikku? I ask you to look after my stuff for awhile, and you go and let it get stolen_!" She could just hear Auron's anger in her mind. She could practically see him glaring at her.

"_You knew what that sword ment to me!_" He shouted.

"_Auron! I..I didn't know that someone was going to come in and **steal** it! The door was **locked** and I took the spare key with me! Honestly Auron, you've gotta believe me_!"

* * *

"_Rikku_!"

Rikku heard her name being called by Tidus. She woke up. Tidus was shaking her shoulders to wake her up.

Rikku looked up at Tidus. What was he doing here? It couldn't have been past 7:30! Rikku's eyes shot to her cute little moogle clock on the coffee table.

She gasped in suprise. It was way past 7:30! It was almost 8:00 and she wasn't ready to go to her own party! She lept to her feet in panic.

"I'm not even ready! I must have fallen asleep!" She said in pure shock as she dashed over to the couch and rummaged through her bags and withdrew her dress. She then rushed into the bathroom and threw it on. She combed her hair quickly and put it back up into her ponytail.

Running out of the bathroom to find her high-heels, Rikku ran right into Tidus, who clasped his hands onto her shoulders.

* * *

"Okay, Rikku..calm down. Now, what happened. Why were you in the floor?" Tidus said looking into Rikku's panicked face, as if he thought her just looking at him was going to calm her down.

"_someonebrokeintomyhouseandstolemasamuneIknowthatifauronwasalivehewasgonnakillmeforlettingsomeonestealitandIguessIfellasleepwhileIwascryingoverit!_" Rikku said in one breath. Her words running together as she looked around the house for her high-heels. She spotted them up against the door.

Tidus raised an eyebrow. "_Woah_...okay, Rikku. Slow down, and breath. What happend?" He said slowly, not letting his grasp upon Rikku's shoulders loosen.

Rikku glared and pointed to the corner where Masamune had once stood. "_Somebody..broke into my house and stole Masamune!_" She shouted taking deep breaths in between her words, as she broke from Tidus's grasp and walked over to her high-heels and slipped them on.

Tidus ran his fingers through his spikey blonde hair and gave Rikku a quizical look. "I don't know. I mean..of all the other valuable stuff that you've got in the apartment..why would someone want to steal that old thing?" He said/asked as he looked at Rikku.

Rikku tossed Auron coat over her shoulders, and then shot her Cousin in-law an angry look that matched Auron's death glare.

"Who knows why someone would want to steal a weapon that used to belong to the Ledgendary Sir Auron? All I know is that someone broke into my damned apartment and stole it while I was gone!" She said angerily.

* * *

Tidus shrugged. "Look Rikku. I'm sure that it'll turn up sooner or later. No use worrying about it right now. We're both gonna end up getting chewed out by Yuna for being late if we don't hurry." he said.

Rikku made a face of protest at Tidus. How could he not be panicked about someone breaking into her apartment? How could he act so calmly about all of this?

Rikku dared not to disagree with Tidus. She knew the last thing he had said was right. They were late, and Yuna was going to chew them out for being late. Listening to one of Yuna's 'being on time' lectures was not something Rikku wanted to sit through tonight.

"Fine...if you say it'll turn up, I'll believe you for now." She said as she headed toward the door.

Tidus smiled and put his arm around his Al Bhed Cousin in-law. "Trust me Rikku, It'll turn up where you least expect it." He said with a kind smile.

Rikku sighed, and wrapped up in Auron's jacket tighter. "I hope your right." She said in a quiet voice.

Tidus smiled and then locked the door to Rikku's apartment behind him. "Trust me..it will." He muttered under his breath.

* * *

He then looked at Rikku as he led her toward the party.

"By the way Rikku. Did I mention how great you look in that dress?" Tidus said after awhile. He opened the door to lead Rikku into the place that they were holding her birthday party.

Rikku blushed and then looked over. "Ah, thanks Tidus." She said, as he led her down the hall. She was feeling a little bit better about this whole Masamune incident. Although she was still really worried about it being missing in the first place.

"You're definately gonna attract some attention tonight! Heck, don't be suprised if the guy in the moogle costume starts flirting with ya before the night's over!" Tidus said with a laugh.

Rikku looked up quickly at the mention of someone in a moogle costume.

"You're kidding about that right? You didn't _really_ hire a guy to wear a moogle costume at my party?" She asked. Tidus couldn't possibly be telling the truth. There was no way that there was a guy in a moogle costume at her birthday party!

Tidus smiled but said nothing, to assure Rikku of rather he was lying or not.

"You'll see for yourself in a minute." He said as he opened the door.

_

* * *

_

_(Okay. That's chapter 2. It's really getting to a slow start...but I swear it'll start to pick up a bit in the next chapter. Because by then It'll start to go along with the summary. I hope that you liked this chapter! (if you don't I won't mind!) anyways, until next chapter!)_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X

_(Author's note: Sorry for the delay in this chapter. was being a pain in the butt making it impossible to put up chapters for awhile.)_

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 3: A few secrets and surprises.**

Rikku looked around at the room as she entered. The guys had done a great job decorating! The room wasn't decorated with too childish of party decorations, nor was it decorated too pink and frilly. In fact the room looked really cool!

Smiling Rikku looked over at Tidus. Her look seemed to say. "Thanks, this is great!"

Tidus hugged his wife's cousin and smiled. "No problem." He muttered under his breath to her.

" Hey, Birthday girl!" Wakka shouted cheerfully as he came up to Rikku and put her in playful head-lock. "Whatcha think about the decorations? We guys did a pretty good job ya?" He looked over at Rikku as he spoke.

"It's wonderful! You did great! I never doubted that in the first place." She said with a smile. Her eyes scanned the room.

* * *

Then she saw it. Tidus wasn't lying after all! There standing in the back of the room, leaning up against the wall, staring at her was some person in a moogle costume! Rikku looked up at Tidus in disbelief.

She then smiled. "I can't believe you were serious about the guy in the moogle costume!" She said through a laugh.

Tidus looked at the others with a laugh. "What you thought I was joking?" He asked curiously.

Rikku smiled and then walked further in the room.

Everyone went about chatting with one another afterward. Rikku stood in the corner listening to the music for awhile. Her eyes would sometimes dart to the guy in the moogle costume. She laughed.

He didn't look to be having much fun. For the last thirty minutes he just stood there. Leaning against the wall, with his costumed arms crossed. Rikku wasn't sure if this guy was still awake or not. He didn't appear to be. But then again, he had that huge moogle head on, so she couldn't see his eyes to tell. 

After awhile, the man got up and walked outside the room. "He must be going for some air. It is pretty warm in here. It's got to be worse wearing that costume." Rikku told herself as she watched the man leave.

Once the guy in the moogle costume had left, Rikku saw her father coming toward her. She waved slightly at him.

* * *

"Rikku. I think it's about time that we talked." Cid said as he walked up to her, his usual stern expression seemed to be gone from his face tonight.

Rikku raised an eyebrow sarcastically. "I thought we've been talking ever since I learned how." She said crossing her arms.

Cid's stern no-nonsense expression flitted across his face for a brief second. He then smiled. "Right. But, I feel that we really need to talk. There are some things that you need to know." He said looking at his daughter.

Rikku gave a playful grimace. "Oh, great. What now?" She said teasingly as she followed Cid out of the room.

Once outside the room a brief moment of scilence fell over both Cid and Rikku, as they walked by the other rooms in this place, where other peoples' parties and get-togethers were in progress or being planned.

"Dad, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Rikku asked once they had gotten outside the building, and set foot on the cool moonlit lawn.

Cid crossed his arms and looked down at the ground. "It's kind of hard to say this..but me and Brother have been lyin' to you for the last 19 years." He muttered, not making eye contact with Rikku.

What? What was all this about. What did could Cid possibly mean by we've been lying to you for the last 19 years? There was something that they both knew, and they had never told Rikku in her entire life?

"Dad?" Rikku asked. She could see her father was shaking badly from crying. Whatever he had to say, it must hurt him really bad. She put her hand on her father's shoulder to try and comfort him. It really startled her. It wasn't like her father to cry.

Cid looked up at Rikku. "That's just it...I'm _not _your father! Hell, Brother isn't even your brother! You're adopted! I'm not sure you're even Al Bhed for that matter!" He said sounding a bit angry. Was he angry with Rikku, or was he angry at himself?

The news of being adopted hit Rikku like a ton of bricks. She blinked. She could practically feel her whole past shattering around her. Her whole life felt like it was being thrown into utter chaos.

* * *

" _Her name is...Rikku." _Sora's gentle voice rang in Rikku's head as her mind fell into confusion.

"_When was she born?" _

"_October 13..." _

* * *

Rikku looked at Cid in disbelief. In a split second, Cid had gone from Rikku's father to some man that she had pretended was her father for the last 19 years of her life.

"Your real mother died just outside Home, the night that you came to us." Cid said looking away from Rikku.

Rikku could barely hear Cid's voice over her own thoughts.

" Her name was Sora, she was of some tribe called the Shinda. When she arrived at Home, she was carrying a bundle of cloth with her."

It all makes sense now, Rikku thought. That dream was always so real to me, because it had happened to me! I was there! I always had dreams about Sora and her daughter, because they were my memories.

"Before Sora passed, she asked me to take care of her little girl. The then muttered something. in a language that I didn't understand, and evaporated into pyreflies. I took the bundle that she had wrapped her daughter in. That's when I laid eyes on you for the first time. Imagine my surprise to see a pair of green Al Bhed eyes looking back at me!" Cid said with a slight laugh at the memory.

Rikku didn't respond. She just stared at the ground, lost for all words. Auron jacket fluttered in the breeze.

_Who am I?_ Rikku thought. Rikku felt lost now. For her whole life she had always known that she was an ordinary Al Bhed. She had a loving family, even though they quarreled and had their differences. She had a cousin that she felt close to. But now? None of it was true. She wasn't Al Bhed. She didn't have a true family...she wasn't even really Yunie's cousin.

Cid put his hand on Rikku's shoulder. Tears started to come from Rikku's eyes now. " Rikku. Just remember. Even though, your not related to me by blood, I'm still your father, and I'm here for you. We're all here for you." He said trying to comfort her.

Rikku didn't look up.

"I just wanna be alone right now." she whispered shaking her head.

Cid nodded and then patted Rikku on the shoulder and headed back inside.

* * *

Rikku started walking. After about ten minutes she found herself in this place's "gardens", according to the archway at the entrance.

She walked for several minute's until she had walked to the other side.

" Did you know I was adopted Masamune?" She asked, looking at the stone bench across from her (once she had stopped walking). Propped up against it was Masamune.

Rikku would have been thrilled to see it...and would have been a bit suspicious of why it was there if she wasn't feeling so confused and awful about the news she received.

She slipped Auron's jacket off of her, and stared at her right wrist in the moon-light.

* * *

"So, you're of the Shinda."

Rikku was curious about that voice that she heard above her, was she just imagining it?

She looked up at the person. Looking down at her emotionlessly, in a head-less moogle costume, was someone she thought she'd never see again. Someone she had wanted to see for several years.

Auron.

She let out a gasp of excitement and surprise. Auron was back!

He then sat down beside her.

Rikku looked at Auron for a minute and then went back to looking at her wrist.

"You look ridiculous you know that. I can't see how they managed to talk you into wearing that thing." She said, without looking at Auron.

Auron brought his knee up to his chin. "Yeah. I know. But Tidus and the others thought It would be a way for me to get around you, with out being seen. That way that part of the surprise isn't ruined. I'm gonna have to remind myself to kill him." He said.

He then got to his feet. "Guess I don't need this stupid costume, since you already know I'm here." He said as he reached for the zipper in the back

He took off the costume. To Rikku's relief he had his usual black tank-top, and black pants on under it.

To Rikku's surprise, though when Auron turned around she could see how much younger he looked. He was no longer the aged 35 year old with graying hair. Instead, he looked like he did back before his death, a youthful 25 year old with raven-black hair. Rikku noticed was that the scar over Auron's eye was still there.

"That thing was about to kill me. I don't see how anyone could stand wearing something like that." Auron said. Rikku gave a laugh.

* * *

"So, you know about the Shinda? How?" Rikku asked as Auron came and sat back down beside her.

"I'm one of them." Auron said looking at his left wrist. He then held it out to show Rikku.

Rikku gasped. Auron had a birthmark/bruise on his wrist that looked exactly like that one that Rikku had on her wrist. Only, the symbols were in a reverse order. The skull-shape being closer to the hand rather than the crescent moon-shape and the diamond being directly under the first shape, rather than the circle, like it was on Rikku's wrist.

Auron then drew his wrist back to his side and looked up at the moon overhead.

"What do you know about the Shinda?" Rikku asked curiously looking up at the sky as well. Maybe, she thought, Auron knew a bit more about this than she did.

Auron was quiet for a minute. "I'm still trying to figure all that out myself. But I do know a small bit about them." He said quietly.

Raising an eyebrow Rikku signaled to Auron that she wanted to know what Auron knew about the Shinda.

"The Shinda are an ancient tribe of so-called 'magical' people. All of its members have this mark upon them somewhere, it's supposed to have something to do with the mysterious powers that the Shinda possess, but I don't know for sure of whether that is true or not." He said with a half-smile as he looked at Rikku's curious face.

"Also, tragedy befalls whoever kills a member of the Shinda tribe." Auron said. He said this so darkly. It sounded to Rikku that he wasn't too fond of this. Did Auron have experience with this? Rikku was curious.

But she didn't dare ask the former legendary guardian questions. He didn't look like he was in the mood to talk about it. Rikku knew from experience when striking up a conversation with Auron, or at least trying to...when Auron didn't look like he was in the mood to talk about anything, (which seemed to be most of the time) he _really _wasn't in the mood to talk about it. There would be no persuading him to talk.

Rikku got to her feet and sighed. She shook her head with a smile.

"The Shinda are gypsies right? That means they roam around right?" Rikku asked curiously, her cheerfulness from 4 years ago seemed to have temporarily returned.

Auron got to his feet and cross his arms. He walked toward the building ahead of Rikku. "Yeah, and just what is it that you are purposing? That we track them down and try to find out more about them?" He asked. A slight hint of curiosity in his voice.

Rikku nodded. "Bingo!" She said happily as she quickened her pace to catch up with Auron's swift stride.

Auron raised an eyebrow and looked over at the younger guardian. "Why?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I wanna know more about myself, and what's a better way to learn about yourself than to go on a journey, and to get the information from the only people that would know?" She asked putting her arms behind her head and looking up at Auron, cutely.

Auron smirked and shook his head. God, it was good to hear Rikku's ideas again!

"I bet you want me to come along, right?" He asked crossing his arms, and giving a brief smile.

Rikku nodded. "Sure, If you want to! I mean, don't you wanna know more about the tribe of people that you come from?" she asked.

Auron nodded. Sure, he wanted to know.

"What if what you find out isn't good?" He asked as they walked into the building.

"It won't bother me, much. So what do you say?"

Auron was silent for a moment. He looked at his wrist. It would be good to learn more about who he belonged to. After all, he hadn't known he was apart of any group until the day his grandfather had passed away.

* * *

"_Auron...lend me your arms, for there is something that I must see before I go. Something that I have been curious of since your birth." _An old man's kind and gentle voice said in Auron's head as he zoned out.

Auron found himself looking in on a small dimly lit home. There was an elderly man laying in a bed. A dark haired child between 8 to 10 years old was standing beside the man's bed. Auron knew this child was him, and the man was his grandfather.

The young Auron held out is arms cautiously to his grandfather. It was clear upon the child's face that he wasn't sure what was going on. But he dared not to disobey his grandfather.

The man's frail old hand lightly took hold off Auron's left arm. He brought it to his face, and examined the mark upon it. He smiled. "_Ah. the left wrist! Powers of The Dark! Physical strength in battle, the inner spirit of a guardian! One can only imagine the power that sleeps within you little one! One can only dream of the adventures that await you, Auron." _He said. A smile upon his old face. His pale brown eyes glimmering.

"_Grandpa...I-I don't understand." Auron said. He was curious and a bit frightened by his grandfather's reaction to the mark on his wrist. _

The old man chuckled. "_Auron. that mark upon your wrist isn't any ordinary birthmark. It is the mark of the Shinda tribe. The position of the mark upon the body, and the arrangement of the symbols stand for the power within that Shinda. The symbols represent the four legendary powers, inside all the Shinda. The Dark, The Light, The Strength and The Mystic. The symbol that is at the top, is your dominating power It is the strongest of all the powers in that particular Shinda. Or so it is said. " _He said with an amused voice as he looked at his grandson's confused expression.

Auron's grandfather uncovered his upper arm. Upon it, Auron could clearly see the symbols. "_See, that diamond shape there, is on top_. _it means the dominating power inside me is The Strength. A perfect attribute to have when you are a blacksmith, a warrior, or in any job that involves. the use of strength. The sign being upon my arm like that, means a high physical strength, the inner spirit of a warrior." _He said with a smile.

This made the child look at his wrist curiously. His grandfather smiled. _"Oh, don't worry. Just because you have a dominating power of The Dark, doesn't mean your gonna turn out evil!" He said, putting his hand on Auron's head and ruffleling the kid's hair. _

The kid just stared at his grandfather.

_"The Dark is a special thing to have. It is the most legendary of the four powers, and It rarely occurs as a Shinda's dominating power." _The old man said.

The man laughed a bit and then shook his head, he nodded as if he had been talking to someone.

"_Little Auron. lend me your wrist once more." _

* * *

"Auron? You want to come on this journey or not?" Rikku asked. Her voice breaking through Auron's memories.

Auron shrugged and looked at his wrist, trying to understand what his grandfather had done when he asked for Auron to let him see his wrist one last time. All Auron knew was that he had felt really weird.

A bit painful, but it had felt as if some type of power had entered Auron's body at that time and gave him a sudden rush of pure energy. The feeling passed so quickly. A few minutes later, before Auron could ask his grandfather what had happened, his grandfather passed away.

"Sure. Whatever." He muttered half-heartedly in reply to Rikku's question.

Rikku smiled. "How about we start out tomorrow?"

Once again, Auron shrugged. Rikku smiled broadly and walked ahead.

* * *

"By the way Rikku. You really ought to learn to clean up your apartment and not trust Tidus with your 2nd set of spare keys." Auron called ahead to her.

Rikku stopped dead in her tracks. She grinned evilly at the ground. It was clear to her why Tidus had shrugged off Masamune's disappearance as nothing. He had played a part in it's disappearance! Rikku reminded herself to get back at Tidus in someway or another. That was a mean trick to pull!

Auron caught up with her and then looked down at her evil grin.

"Anyhow Rikku. Can I have my jacket back?"

Rikku smiled wide and then slipped her jacket off of her shoulders. She handed it to Auron with a smile.

"I missed you. You know that." She said lightly. She then threw her arms around Auron and embraced the older guardian. It felt so nice to Rikku to be this close to Auron again.

Auron smiled a bit and looked down at Rikku as he put his jacket back on.

"I know." He said with a smile.

"I've missed you too." He whispered as he put his arm around Rikku, and held her close to his side.

_

* * *

_

_(Three chapters! So how's the story so far guys and gals? I can't wait to get some reviews! Until next chapter!)_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Final fantasy X

**Chapter 4: The Journey Begins**

Rain fell in heavy sheets as the storm on the thunderplains went from bad to worse. Far off away from the roads and lightening towers the rain seemed to fall around a child no older than six or seven. He had one hand pressed to the ground, to help keep him balanced, and another pressed to his forehead, a look of intense concentration set upon his face. Even though the rain was pouring heavily, the child remained perfectly dry.

"_Someone..." _Rikku could hear his voice inside her head clearly.

The boom of Thunder went off, and lightening struck nearby the kid, causing him to jump and gasp. His concentration disrupted, the bubble or whatever it was around him. allowing some of the rain to hit him. He quickly brought this "bubble" back into existence.

"_Can anyone hear me?" _

_"I can..." _Rikku thought as she watched the kid there. She knew that her voice wasn't reaching this kid, if he was real.

"_Somebody...please. help!" _

_"Who are you?" _Rikku asked, as the whole scene before her faded off into darkness. Her voice echoed through the darkness.

"_Please..somebody." _The boy's voice echoed into the distance as it reached Rikku's ears it became fainter and fainter.

* * *

Rikku's eyes snapped open, and she drew in a sharp breath.

She could feel the comfort of her own bed beneath her, and the warmth of Auron's jacket around her. She didn't remember falling asleep, or even leaving the party for that matter. But here she was at her house.

Getting to her feet Rikku wrapped the jacket around her tightly against the early morning autumn chill of her apartment. The first rays of dawn were creeping in between the curtains on the windows. Rikku loved this time of day. She loved watching the sun-rise. It always made her feel so peaceful.

As she approached her bed-room door she could hear signs of life outside in her apartment. This caught her off guard. Normally her apartment was dead-silent at this time of day, seeing how she lived alone and she was the only thing in her household capable of making noise on it's own.

Quietly opening the door, Rikku tip-toed into the living room to see what the source of the noise was, praying it wasn't a fire, or a _real _robber.

As she stepped into the living room she found the lights were on, and it was visibly noticeable that her apartment's living room was more organized than she had left it the night before. Rikku was so surprised by this she had to throw her hand over her mouth to keep her self from screaming.

Rikku looked into the kitchen and saw Auron standing at the stove.

"What are you doing in my apartment?" Rikku asked curiously as she approached Auron.

Auron didn't turn to face her, but he was grinning down at the food he was cooking.

* * *

"Whatever happened to 'good morning'?" He asked sarcastically over his shoulder.

"oh...right, good morning --what are you doing in my apartment?." Rikku said in a teasing voice.

Auron shrugged. "You fell asleep as your birthday party was ending. We tried to wake you up so you could go home. But with all that snoring you were doing it was no use." He began.

"So, since I felt like acting like a gentleman last night, I carried you all the way back here. Then I cleaned up you apartment for you. I hope you don't mind." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rikku smiled.

"Thank you." she whispered giving him a hug, and a quick kiss on the side of the face before heading off toward the shower.

Auron didn't say anything. He just pretend to concentrate on the food.

"Breakfast will be ready by the time you get out of the shower." He muttered after a few seconds.

After awhile, Rikku came out of the shower. She and Auron had breakfast together.

* * *

"What's it like being dead?" Rikku asked so suddenly, that Auron was caught off-guard by the question.

"You mean, like being unsent dead, or being on the farplane dead?"

Rikku looked down at Auron's jacket, she still was wearing it around her. "Unsent dead." She said, half-way embarrassed for asking the question in the first place.

"It's kind of awful. You feel alive, but just barely on the inside. You can't feel anything at all, not anything that you touch, or anything that touches you. It's quiet lonely, knowing that there are people there who care about you..but you can't feel it at all. Sometimes you just can't stand it and you wish you could just go to the Farplane to stay." Auron said quietly, looking away from Rikku.

"So...it's the same feeling." He heard Rikku say to herself out loud.

"The same feeling?"

Rikku nodded. "Yeah, having your heart broken, feels the same as being unsent."

Auron raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. He couldn't picture Rikku heart-broken. He couldn't think of anything or anyone who would do that to her.

"You see...four years ago..remember when I came up to you on the airship before we defeated Sin? I had something to say to you, but never got to. Well, I was going to say...I _love _you." Rikku said looking over.

That was like a knife. Of course, he could think of something and someone who could have broken Rikku's heart. He was that _someone_, and his sending had been that _something _that had done that to her. Auron felt awful.

"Well, after you got sent, I spent a month or two a total mess. I felt so empty, you know. It really hurt not being able to see you. There were some days that I missed you so badly that I just wanted to give up and die." Rikku said lightly.

She looked directly into Auron's eyes. The rising sun's light hit her eyes making them even more mystical than they had been to Auron when he had first laid eyes on them.

"..I thought I wasn't ever gonna feel better. Then, I started sphere-hunting. That was fun, and it helped me take my mind off of you. Until we went into the Farplane after Vegnagun and I heard you. It kind of upset me, because I realized you really were gone."She said.

Auron looked over. There was really nothing that could be said. Nothing that he wanted to say to that.

"Oh, then when Tidus came back to Yunie. I thought I was gonna die! I mean, sure I smiled and was cheerful. But deep down I was hurting." She said.

She then looked at the table. "It feels terrible to have your heart broken."

Auron got to his feet and walked over to Rikku. He put his arms around Rikku.

* * *

"I"m sorry Rikku. I didn't mean to do that to you on purpose." He whispered into her ear. Rikku some how had the feeling that Auron wasn't just apologizing for breaking her heart like he did. There was something else behind that apology. Rikku could just feel it, but she didn't dare to tell Auron.

Once Auron had let go of her, Rikku got to her feet. "Well, it's gonna be a busy day. We're heading out on our journey today! But first we've got to go to the item shops and buy some items to prepare. Lucky for me I've been saving up gil for just such an occasion!" She said cheerfully.

Auron blinked. Rikku's mood-changes still surprised him. There was not one person in the world that Auron knew who could go from sad to cheerful in 0.10 seconds like Rikku could. He chuckled a little bit at this.

Suddenly a thought hit Rikku. She stopped dead in her tracks and hit herself in the forehead. "I didn't tell Yunie and the others that we were going anywhere!" She said after a few seconds.

Auron got to his feet. "It's alright, I told the others at the party last night. They already know, most of everything." He said.

Rikku turned. "So they know about me being adopted? They know about me being a Shinda?" She asked curiously.

The answer to Rikku's questions came in the form of a nod from Auron.

Rikku ran her fingers through her hair.

"They still think of you as the same person, and are very supportive of you." Auron said as if he were reading Rikku's thoughts.

* * *

Smiling Rikku nodded. Suddenly the doorbell rang. Rikku raised an eyebrow and then answered the door.

"Paine? Gippal? What are you two doing here?" She asked as she let Paine and Gippal into her house.

"Didn't Auron tell you? We're going to watch over your house for you while you two are away." Gippal said in his usual cool and casual voice.

Rikku nodded. "I see. Thank you." She said.

Paine looked as if she remembered something just then and pulled a machina out of her pocket. She then handed it to Rikku. "Here, Shinra fixed this for you. Use it to keep in touch with us. We've already programmed our phone-numbers in it." She said as Rikku took the cell-phone machina.

RIkku nodded. "Thanks" She said with a smile.

Gippal smiled and then put his arm around Rikku. "Now, you've gotta promise to behave yourself. I don't want any reports from Auron tellin' us how you're bugging the hell out of him. I especially don't want Auron comin' back and telling us how he killed you because you got on his nerves too badly." He said teasingly as he looked at Rikku.

Rikku smiled and teasingly at Gippal. "Ah, come on Gippal. Don't ruin all the fun in taking a journey!" She said.

Gippal laughed. He then walked over to Auron, a smile on his face.

" Now look, I know you. You're the kind of guy that trouble finds. So I'm not gonna tell you to be careful. But I am gonna tell you to makes sure nothing bad happens to Rikku. She may not be Cid's little girl, and she _might _not be Al Bhed, but she's still a close friend of mine, and I don't wanna hear about anything bad happening to her. Okay?" He said crossing his arms.

Auron nodded understandably then casted a look toward Rikku.

"Well you better make sure! Or else!" Gippal said with a laugh as he threw a playful punch at Auron.

Nodding once again, Auron headed toward the door. "We'd better be going."

Rikku nodded. She hugged Paine and Gippal and then said her good-byes to them and headed out the door after Auron.

* * *

Once outside, Auron and Rikku headed to the shops to buy items before heading out.

After that they headed toward the Mi'ihen Highroad exit of Luca.

Rikku looked up the stairs really excitedly. Her fingers played nervously with the sleeves of Auron's jacket. She then started to wonder why Auron hadn't asked for his jacket back yet.

She looked to Auron.

"Keep it Rikku. It's yours now." Auron said.

Rikku nodded and then headed up the stairs.

"I wonder if that kid is alright?" She caught herself thinking as she ran up the stairs ahead of Auron.

As if a sign of reassurance, the voice of the kid came to her head. "_Please! Help me!" _

Rikku gave a small smile. The kid was still alive aleast, or so Rikku thought.

_"Don't worry, We'll be there to help you soon!" _She thought.

* * *

"She the one that Boss is after, Big Bro?"

As Auron and Rikku headed up the stairs toward the Mi'ihen Highroad, neither one of them were aware that they were being watched by two men.

The larger of the two men, Big Bro, crossed his arms, nodded and grunted.

The smaller of the two laughed a bit. "This looks like it'll be easy." He said evilly clapping his hands together.

"Don't underestimate the her power. Boss wouldn't be after her if she wasn't powerful." Big Bro muttered glancing up the stairs.

"I guess you're right Big Bro." The smaller man said crossing his arms.

"Also, remember what Sage said. As long as she's with the one who possesses the power of The Dark, then she will be almost untouchable." Big Bro said in his deep grummbly voice.

* * *

A slight _whoosh _noise was heard behind the two men.

"Leave it to me, to get him away from her. Boss is after _him _too."A tough female voice said from behind the two mean as a third person appeared.

Big Bro nodded and grunted. He then picked up his heavy Ax-weapon and slung it over his shoulder. He then stomped up the stairs to the Mi'ihen Highroad.

He was followed by the smaller man and the female.

"I can only imagin what Boss'll say when we bring the two of them in! Once we get them and their powers, Boss'll be able to come back to full power plus some! He shall be able to do as he pleases! Ah! Can you imagin! He could be strong enough to destroy entire races single-handedly! He can create Sin again!" The smaller man said with an evil glint in his eye as he spoke. His voice said everything as if he were anxious to see this stuff happen.

The woman looked over. "Don't get too excited. We haven't got them yet and we could still fail." She said crossing her arms.

The smaller man gave a nasty face. "Don't talk about failure! I don't wanna imagine boss's punishment!" He said in a worried sounding voice.

"Then you best not screw up!"

* * *

(_Okay,that's the end of that chapter. Sorry if it was a little lame, I've been in writer's block foreawhile, and my mind isn't workin' like it should. Anyways, I hope that this chapter was okay. (If not, you can be honest with me and tell me that it wasn't! I won't be mad!) anyways, I hope to see you in the next chapter! maybe then I'll be over this darn writer's block.)_


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X

**Chapter 5: Promise.**

They had spent the whole day traveling under the warm Mi'ihen sun. Rikku had almost forgotten how painfully long the first half of the road was, and the fiends only made it a bit worse. Almost every time that Auron and Rikku turned around they'd be in a battle with a few fiends.

It was mid-day by the time they reached the travel agency and decided it would be best for them both to take a small break. Rikku collapsed her knees outside the travel agency, sighing in relief.

"I don't see how you managed to survive as a guardian, if you can't survive half the walk down the Mi'ihen highroad." Auron said teasingly as he leaned up against the travel agency. His voice didn't carry much of a teasing tone because, hey, it's Auron after all you know, he normally sounds serious!

Rikku glared up at Auron, she hadn't caught the fact that Auron was just kidding around with her. Rikku was quiet pleased to see Auron's nervous facial expression, at her glare.

Auron looked at Rikku for a minute, and then said, "Woah! Rikku, I was just kidding! Lighten up!"

Rikku stopped glaring and got to her feet.

"Oh, trying out humor are we? That's something new for the big meanie, a.k.a. you." She said with a small smile as she headed into the travel agency.

Auron crossed his arms. "Yeah, I guess." He said with a small smile.

To be completely honest, Auron sorta of hated how he was around Rikku while he was unsent. He knew in this third chance at life, (third if you count being unset as a second chance.) he wanted to be better than that. He wanted to show people that he did have a lighter side to his personality.

He followed Rikku into the travel agency after awhile. He found her inside talking to the girl behind the counter. The girl was a tall girl with brown hair and really tan skin. (Rikku looked pale compared to this girl)

When Auron entered the Travel agency, Rikku stopped talking to the girl for a minute and casted a look toward Auron. She waved a bit and smiled, then went right back to talking with the girl.

"Who's this pretty girl?" Auron asked when he came up to the two of them, and noticed the girl Rikku was talking to was looking at him. When he said this, he watched the girl's face turn a bright pink.

"Surely, you remember Calli?" Rikku asked looking over at Auron. There was a smile on her face, as she crossed her arms and tilted her head a bit to one side to look at Auron.

* * *

Auron's good eye widened a bit. Calli? As in Calli, that girl that they had all. (with the exception of Rikku,) met four years ago on the Mi'ihen highroad? Auron could barely believe it, Calli didn't even look like a little child anymore!

"Good to see you again, Calli. So, how's your mother doing?" He asked with a small smile on his face. Trying to cover up the look of pure surprise that had come across his face as he looked at Calli.

Calli crossed her arms, her brown eyes frowned along with her. "She...um..died, like four years ago. Sin killed her." She said hanging her head.

Auron rubbed the back of his neck. Well, that was really smooth. Let's go upset someone else today why don't we, Auron? He thought as he saw Calli's frown.

"I'm sorry..I didn't mean to..I was merely..." He said. So now you stumble over your words? Well, aren't you a different person Auron!

Calli shrugged. "It's okay. I know, you were just trying to talk to me. It wasn't that you were trying to upset me. Anyways, you didn't know my mother was dead, so I don't blame you for asking." She said, smiling a little bit.

Auron felt a little better, so he hadn't offended Calli after all. That was good, for him. He didn't want to spend his new life thinking about how badly he had screwed up already, by upsetting people.

He casted a look to Rikku briefly. He definitely didn't want to upset Rikku any further. He had done enough to upset her already.

Yet, she only knows the half of what you've done to her Auron. She knows you broke her heart, but there was more. You did something, that if she knew, she might never forgive you for. Auron told himself mentally, as he hung his head for a moment.

"So, what are you doing out here on the Mi'ihen Highroad. Last I heard Rin had you working at the Calm-Lands Agency, what happened to that?" Rikku asked leaning over the counter to talk with Calli.

Calli shrugged. "Well, apparently with the Sphere-break tournament coming up, Mr. Rin needs extra help managing this branch of the travel agencies since most of the people from the North are going to be passing by on their way to Luca and all. So it's gonna get busy around here. That's really just the reason I guess." She said with a sigh.

Rikku laughed. "That time of year already? Feels like we just got out of Sphere-break season not but a month ago."

Calli and Rikku began to get into a discussion about Sphere-break.

Auron didn't want any part in it, because he had no idea what the hell "Sphere-break" was in the first place. So he decided to wander off. Rikku would be okay on her own for a bit. She was an adult now after all.

As Auron walked away that thought lingered with him. _Rikku was an adult_. Standing at the other end of the travel agency, looking around at the stuff on the tables, the thought wouldn't go away from him. Rikku was different, She wasn't the same teenaged-guardian that he had known four years ago. At least, she didn't appear to be that way anymore.

* * *

Auron casted a look over his shoulder toward Rikku who was giggling and chatting with Calli. Yeah, Rikku was different. Sure, Rikku was cute, four years ago. She was about as cute as a 15 year old could be. But in four years Rikku had gone from being teenaged-girl-cute to being adult-woman-beautiful. (If that was even an accurate way to describe it.)Beautiful? What was that thought just now? Auron thought as he turned back to looking at the table and closed his eyes. It's not alright to think about Rikku _that_ way. She's still just a fellow guardian after all. You can't call her beautiful stupid. Save the "she's beautiful" thoughts for someone else! You know..someone about your age? Someone who's not your best friend's niece. (She's not Braska's niece, remember? She's adopted. Auron told his thoughts.) you just can't think of Rikku as beautiful! Can you?

* * *

"You're being ridiculous." Auron muttered to himself as he banished his thoughts from his head. Sure, he was on a journey for no very important reason, like he had been four years ago, and ten years before that, but this was still a journey none the less. He couldn't be thinking about such things like, how beautiful someone was or wasn't to you. Nope, that'd get in the way of any challenges that come your way!

He felt a hand on his shoulder after a few minutes. "Now, exactly how am I being ridiculous? All I said that we should get going." Rikku's voice said cutting through his thoughts.

Auron smiled. He opened his eyes and turned to Rikku, with a smile on his face. "I wasn't talking to you." he said simply. He walked out of the door.

Rikku crossed her arms and watched Auron walk out of the door. She smiled a bit. Auron was acting so weird. It was almost silly. Trying out a sense of humor, and smiling more. It was just so odd. Rikku laughed. It was just funny.

She ran her fingers through her golden hair, waved goodbye to Calli, and then dashed out of the travel agency after Auron.

As she ran out, she collided with a huge man. The force of the impact knocked Rikku down on her butt. Looking up at the man, Rikku rubbed her sore rear-end and glared.

"Hey, Buddy! watch were you're going, okay?" Rikku asked as she got to her feet. The man just stared at her for a long time. His eyes dark eyes narrowed as he glared at Rikku. He had a rather threatingly look about him. Maybe it was his height, his muscles, and his mean looking eyes. Then again, Rikku thought when she spotted the giant Ax that was slung over this man's shoulder, it could just be the weapon.

Well, what ever it was it was really creeping Rikku out. She attempted to walk past the man and out the door to catch up with Auron, but the man would not budge. Rikku noticed a small malevolent grin upon this guys face. He reached out and took hold of her around her shoulders, as if he were attempting to hug her, only a lot more roughly. Rikku struggled to get out of the man's grasp, but the more she backed up the more the guy tightened his grasp around Rikku.

"I'm sorry Princess, but you're commin' with me!" The man whispered into her ear as he held her close to him with one arm. He took the ax off of his back, and held it's large sharp blade to Rikku's throat. "Got it?"

Rikku's throat went dry. This was _not_ good.

* * *

"Let her go." A voice said from behind them.

The man turned and glared. "Why should I, Dark one?" He growled.

Rikku raised an eyebrow curiously.

Auron glared at the man. He drew out his weapon and prepared to attack.

The big man let go of Rikku and grunted. He then smirked at Auron as he prepared for an attack.

Rikku took the opportunity of freedom to run over to Auron's side. She drew out her daggers and glared as she fell into her normal attacking position.

The tall man grunted and then rubbed his nose. He shouldered his ax once more and grunted. He then turned around and headed into the travel agency.

"I"ll deal with you later Princess. The Dark might not be around to save and protect you next time!" He said in a growl of a voice as he entered the travel agency.

* * *

Rikku and Auron just stood there in sclience for awhile. Rikku didn't get it. What was with this guy? What was he talking about? Rikku shuddered. She definitely didn't want to run into _him _again.

Auron looked at his wrist. The Dark? He knows, my dominating power, Auron thought as he shot a look toward the inside of the travel agency. Something was up. He didn't like how this stranger knew his dominating power, without having seen his wrist. Besides, only Shinda would know what those symbols meant. Maybe this guy was a Shinda.

But why would he be after Rikku? Auron asked himself as he glanced over at Rikku.

Rikku shook her head. She then looked up at Auron, as if nothing was wrong. "Let's get going. It's still a ways to the other end of the High-road." She said. She turned quickly and then started walking down the road.

Auron could tell by Rikku's slow walking that she was pretty shaken up by what had just happened. Auron wasn't sure if Rikku was feeling like that man was after her for reason.

Walking beside her Auron felt that he wanted Rikku to feel better. He wanted to do something that would comfort her. The only thing he felt that was appropriate was to wrap his arm around her and walk close beside her.

To be honest. This gesture, made Rikku feel much better. She felt so much safer now. All that back there was _way _too creepy for her tastes. She felt that Auron doing what he did just then, was not only sweet, but it was a signal to Rikku that he was trying to help her get over what had just happened.

As they walked along, Auron kept his watch on Rikku. He didn't want anything like what had happened, to happen to her again. What ever that guy was after Rikku for, Auron was sure that it wasn't good, and he was also very sure that that man was not alone.

Auron promised himself, he was going to do all that he could to make sure they didn't succeed in their plans. It was his turn to be a guardian again. Not to a summoner this time however. This time he was to be a guardian to another guardian. He promised himself that he would protect her no matter what.

At this point Auron remembered something that fit perfectly for him to tell himself to make him promise to be Rikku's guardian. He had told Tidus the very words almost four years ago in the Macalania woods. Back then they applied to Yuna. But now they could work well for Rikku.

"_Stay with her...always."_

* * *

(_Chapter 5 done! yay! I hope that you guys and gals liked it. I hope that you will review to tell me if you did or not! I'll have chapter 6 up sooner or later. Well, until next time! I hope that you all had a happy 4th of July! See ya later!)_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X

**Chapter 6: Is Any of This for Real?**

The rest of the trip down the Mi'ihen Highroad and the whole trip down the Djose Highroad in sclience, as the memory of what had happened back at the agency slowly left their minds.

Rikku was the one who had yet to forget about it, the whole incident was already way in the past to Auron. She was so full of questions over things she didn't understand.

That man, whoever he was, had called Auron, "The Dark" and her "Princess", but why? There had to be some reason behind it! You didn't just call strangers things like that without reason.

It didn't seem like Auron knew anything about why this man had said what he did, so there was no point in asking him about it, and Rikku definately didn't want to go find that man and ask him about why he said what he did.

She didn't say it to Auron, but while that evil guy had a hold of her, something had happend. It felt really odd to Rikku. It was as if this man's evil energy was making it's way into her somehow. The feeling she encounted was awful It felt like she was drowning. Her lungs had just stopped working, and the only thing she could hear was her own heartbeat in her ears.

However, another feeling had come over Rikku almost as quickly as the other feeling had come. It was like her heart was on fire breifly. It didn't hurt much, really, after awhile it felt pretty good. It made her feel warm. The feeling had started in her heart and had spread to her entire body in a matter of seconds. What ever she had felt, Rikku believed that it had banished the evil energy that this guy had given her from her body, sort of like how a light banishes the darkness in a room once it's lit.

* * *

Rikku kdidn't tell Auron this, because she knew he wouldn't care. It would be like telling him that there was a kid out on the Thunderplains who needed help. As soon as the words "I dreamed that..." left her mouth, Auron wouldn't care anymore. Rikku believed that to Auron, dreams weren't to be taken seriously they weren't real! Therefore, if Rikku had said that she had dreamed that there was a kid out on the thunderplains who needed help, he absolutly wouldn't believe her.

To be honest, Rikku wasn't sure whether to believe this dream or not. I mean, it was a _dream_ you know. But then, Rikku took into consideration, hadn't her dreams about Sora and her daughter turned out to be more than just dreams? Had they not turned out to be her own memories? What's to say that this person didn't exist then?

"Rikku, not that it is concerning me the least bit, but exactly how were you planning on us Finding the Shinda?" Auron's voice asked breaking through Rikku's thoughts as they approached the fork in the road at the end of the Djose Highroad.

Rikku shrugged and ran her fingers through her golden hair. " Well, I'm not really too sure about that. I mean, how do you exactly track down a group of people who roam around alot and only identification is a tiny symbol? I just suspected that we'd probably run into someone of that tribe, and talk with them. I mean, sure it might take awhile but that's really our only option." She said with a smile on her face. She shrugged once more.

Auron sighed and put his hand on his forehead and looked down the road toward the Djose Temple. It was a plan that was going to take awhile and required a lot of luck, but Rikku had a point. It was their only option at the moment.

* * *

Taking hold of Auron's hand, Rikku started to drag Auron toward the Moonflow. "Anywho, our best bet is to head toward the Moonflow! Why you might ask? Because I know just about everybody at the Djose Temple, they're all Al Bhed. Trust me none of them are Shinda, I would know." Rikku said cheerfully as she led Auron on down the path.

As the two of them headed toward the Moonflow, the sun began setting. With the approaching night, also came the threat of sclience. Rikku could just feel it. She knew for sure that she wanted to avoid scliences like this between her and Auron. Too many of these such "quiet"-times had occured too many times four years ago between the two of them.

* * *

She began searching her mind and the area around her for something to talk about.

"The sunset sure is pretty isn't it?"

Auron only gave his typical grunt in response. Rikku frowned. Okay, there was no way to create that into a topic of conversation.

Suddenly an idea came to her head.

She quickened her pace and then turned around and started walking backward infront of Auron. Her head was tilted to one side.

"You're grandfather was a Shinda right?"

Once again Auron only gave a grunted "yes" in repsonse.

Rikku smiled. Okay, now we're getting somewhere, she thought.

"Did he ever tell you anything about the Shinda?" She asked curiosly.

Auron nodded. That was typical, Rikku thought, don't talk about it, don't read between the lines, just answer the question directly.

Letting out a sigh, Rikku continued on. "So, can you tell me about what he told you or are you gonna be like you were 4 years ago and keep it a secret? Or do I already know all the things he told you, because you told me them last night?" She asked.

Yet again, Auron nodded.

Rikku sighed. "So are you gonna tell me?" She asked half frustrated with the older former guardian.

This time Rikku heard a chuckle come from Auron and then, Rikku could have swore, she saw a small smirk come across his face.

"Oh? you wanted me to tell you now. I thought you were asking if I had the capablility of telling you. I thought you were implying that I could tell you any time." Auron said sarcastically looking down at Rikku.

Rikku put her hands on her hips. "Hey, that's not funny meanie." She said with a small laugh.

Auron shrugged. "Okay, you want me to tell you?" he asked.

Rikku nodded.

From that point, Auron explained all that his grandfather had told him. The most of it had been about "four legendary powers" or something and their relation to the Shinda and the symbols. When he had finished Rikku had a very curious look on her face. Her eyes immedately darted to her right wrist.

* * *

"Hey, Auron? What's my dominating power?"

Auron shrugged and continued walking. "Most I can tell you it's either The Mystic or The Light, because those are two symbols that I don't know which is which. All I know is that The Strength is the diamond shape and The Dark, my dominating power, is the skull-shape." He said looking ahead of him.

Rikku turned around and fell into stride beside Auron. "Well that answers part of one of my questions." She muttered.

Auron raised an eyebrow to this. Noticing this Rikku continued on.

"Well, That man at the travel agency called you 'The Dark' I didn't get it until just now. He knew your dominating power. Now, what I don't get is why he called me 'Princess' you know." Rikku said.

Nothing came from Auron. Well Rikku thought, I guess this time the silence wins. She thought as she looked ahead at the darkening path.

* * *

Auron's mind had started to wander toward the past. He was dropped off in a memory back when he was about 20 years old, in Bevelle.

"_Auron, just because I'm the daughter of one of the Cheifs of the Shinda tribe, I'm sort of a Princess, yes. But that doesn't mean you have to call me Princess." _A woman said to Auron as she walked around the home, that Auron had found himself in, orgainzing things. By looking at the window nearby, Auron guessed this memory had taken place sometime late September, early October.

The 20 year old Auron bowed his head. "_Forgive me." _He said looking at the floor.

The woman sighed and ran her fingers through her golden hair, she smiled at Auron with, now that Auron thought about it, the most fimilar smile ever. "_There you go again. Appologizing! How many times do Mizu and I have to tell you that you don't have to appologize for anything, if we correct you on something. Ah, well It's nice to know you've aleast got enough manners to do that." _She said as she continued to clean up around the room.

"_Speaking of Mizu, he should be returning home sooner or later." _She added with a smile.

Auron looked up. "_Is your husband really alright with you living in Bevelle? I mean, the Shinda, they are gypsies. You'd expect that someone with your heritage, would be following the traditon instead of keeping a residence in Bevelle while her husband follows the traditons of the Shinda?" _He asked curiosly.

The woman smiled and continued to clean. "_Mizu's fine with it. He knows why I decided to stop travelling. He also thinks its better that I don't travel around much lately. You know with the baby and all. Besides, I think it would be best if the baby grew up with a nice childhood, you know living in one place and not moving from place to place. I didn't like having to grow up like that so I don't want my son or daughter to have to go through it." _She said putting her hand on her stomache. Auron had hardly noticed it when this memory had started, but this woman, looked to be about 8 or so months pregnant.

Auron's eyes watched the woman as she walked around the room. "_Is it alirght for you to be moving around so much? Shouldn't you be taking it easy?" _He asked. Auron was even shocked by the worry that was in his own voice. Sure he had expected it, beacuse after all this was his memory, but it still came as a shock strangely.

The woman gave a sarcastic grin. "_Auron, I'm not sick, I'm pregnant." _She said sarcastically as she sat down on the couch across from Auron.

Auron smirked at this woman's saracasm. "_Sorry, just don't want anything happening to the future prince or princess of the Shinda tribe, or, his or her mother for that matter." _He said getting to his feet.

The woman smiled. "_You and Mizu worry too much." _

The 20 year old Auron crossed his arms.

"_That's what friends and family are suppose to do. Sora." _

Sora smiled. "_Thank you Auron. You've been so nice to me and Mizu. No warrior monk would ever be so kind to either of us, on the count of how we look Al Bhed." _She said gently as she looked up at Auron.

_"No problem Sora. However,. I should be thanking you. You did save my life after all." _the 20 year old Auron said bowing his head.

* * *

Auron felt a tug on his sleeve. It jerked him out off of memory lane, and back into realilty.

"Wow! Auron! Look!" Rikku's awestruck voice said from beside him.

Auron looked in the direction that Rikku was looking in. All he he could see was the Moonflow. It looked normally how it did at night, all lit up by the pyreflies.

It was an amazing sight! Even to Auron, who had seen it upon multiple occasions in the past, the look of the Moonflow at night was magnificent.

He looked down at Rikku. Her face was lit up by the light of the pyreflies and Auron could clearly see that the Moonflow's beauty had sent Rikku into a sort of amazed trance.

Auron headed toward the Shoopuf with a small smile on his face. Spira had changed, but this was one thing that seemd like it would never change. The Moonflow was stil capable of captureing people with it's beauty.

Rikku turned to Auron. "Can we stay for just a little while?" she asked. her voice was a whisper, it was almost as if she talked any higher than that the peacefulness would shatter, and the whole Moonflow would dissappear, like a dream.

Well, Auron thought, It's not too important that we keep moving so why not? Besides Auron, you rarely ever got to enjoy peace while you were on Spira.

Giving a nod to Rikku, the two of them walked to the edge of the moonflow and sat down. Rikku immedately began gazing into the lights of the pyreflies dreamily.

* * *

After about several minutes Rikku leaned up against Auron. Suddenly Auron felt something cold hit his arm. He looked down at Rikku to find her leaning up against him. The light from the pyreflies caught he tears as they rolled down her face.

What was she crying about?

"Rikku?" Auron asked curiosly as a few more tears hit his arm.

Rikku looked up and tried to dry the tears from her eyes. "It's nothing." She said. Those weren't the words that she wanted to say to Auron.

"It's just that. This is nice." She continued on. There, those words were a start to the things she wanted to say.

Auron nodded. Yeah, this peacefulness was nice.

"..and I'm so glad to be able to enjoy it with you."

No repsonse came from Auron.

" You know, it's been four years and all. But, I kinda want you to know...I still love you."

Silence still.

Rikku sighed and looked up at Auron. "Auron, I want to know Are you really alive again? Or am I just dreaming? Are you really hear with me, or am I gonna wake up soon and be back home in Luca without you?" She asked quickly, gazing up at Auron.

Auron gave Rikku a smile. He brushed some of the tears away from her eyes, and pushed some of her blonde hair off her shoulders. "It's not a dream Rikku. Trust me."

"But what if you're wrong? What if this is all just a dream we're sharing?" She asked.

Rikku felt an arm around waist now.

"Just trust me." He whispered looking back and the pyreflies in the Moonflow.

Once again, silence overcame them both. But this time, Rikku didn't mind it. As she sat there next to Auron, she felt that feeling arise in her heart again. Not the feeling of evit, but the better feeling. She smiled up at Auron breifly and then went back to watching the moonflow as well.

* * *

(_Hiyas readers! Sorry that this chapter took so long, and that it's not spellchecked.A lot happend to it. I mean first the file that I had it on orignally messed up and wouldn't respond at all everytime I tried to open it. Then the file that I re-typed it on a second-time did the same thing. (only this time the whole floppy-disk stopped responding, and then I lost all my fanfiction files. (yeah I was bummed out about that one.) So I had to re-type this chapter and put it in a folder on my computer...But alteast it's done now.) Anywho, I hope that you like this chapter. and I can't wait to hear from you. You have any suggestions, for future chapters? Just send a comment and tell me! I'm always open to listen to ideas! Anyways, untill next time) _


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X

**Chapter 7: An Issue of Trust?**

As it turned out, they ended up spending the whole night there on the moonflow. Both of them had fallen asleep under the starry sky, lit up by pyreflies before they had known it.

When Auron woke up, the first rays of the sun were poking up over the horizon. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with one hand, and sat up. A small moan could be heard from beside him. He glanced over to see Rikku lying there staring up at the sky, with unfocused eyes.

She had one hand upon Auron's arm. When she groaned she squeezed Auron's arm a bit. Her hands were cold.

"_Why?" _She asked in a voice that was her own, but didn't sound exactly like it. This voice was more far off and distant, and carried the tone of anger.

Auron raised an eyebrow. Rikku's eyes narrowed, but remained unfocused. _"Never mind, seeing those who stand behind you, I understand what the purpose of the machina weapon in your hand." _

_"If I am to die, you will suffer as well. When my soul leaves my body, and returns to the Farplane, you will be doomed to a life full of sorrows. Even though, you unwillingly kill me, it is your fate." _She said darkly.

This was just getting plain out freaky, Auron thought as he looked at Rikku's blank expression.

_"Another life will be affected by your misfortunes. You and that person will be connected to each other, in spirit." _Rikku said distantly.

Suddenly her grasp loosened, her hand slid off of Auron's arm and rested on the ground limply for a few seconds. Suddenly Rikku's eyes focused and she took a deep breath.

* * *

Her green eyes glanced around slowly, and she sat up. "Mornin!" she said cheerfully when she saw Auron sitting next to her. She seemed completely oblivious to her fellow guardian's concerned look.

"Rikku, what was that?" Auron asked bringing his knee up to his chin and resting his head on it, looking at Rikku curiously.

The response to that question was nothing more than a blink of confusion from Rikku. She apparently didn't know of what had just happened.

"You were looking blankly at the sky, talking to yourself. It wasn't normal." He explained to her.

Rikku rubbed her face with both of her hands. "...god, not again." She moaned.

"This has happened before?" Auron asked.

Rikku nodded. "Yeah. sometimes. I start remembering my past, back when I was still a baby, and my real mother was alive. Most of the times, I...end up dreaming about when my real mother got shot by a warrior monk, and I'd start saying all that she said in the same language that she would say it in. " She said rubbing her neck, She knew she must sound crazy to Auron.

"...You didn't sound like you were speaking in a foreign language to me. I could understand you as plain as day." Auron said waving his hand off to the side as he spoke.

This was confusing to Rikku. So, she had been saying actual words? How come she couldn't understand them?

"What did I say?" She asked, almost in a demanding voice.

Auron raised an eyebrow. That was a little harsh. Auron understood though, that Rikku was a little panicked by this.

He began to tell her all that she said.

Rikku didn't have half the reaction that Auron had expected.. She just got to her feet and headed toward the Shoopuf. "Feel kinda bad for that one guy who shot my mom.. I mean, sure I want to meet him so I can give him a piece of my mind for killin' my mother before I ever got a chance to know her, but you know his life probably turned into a total machina-wreck after she died. I mean, I know he regretted it." She said as they boarded the Shoopuf.

* * *

Don't respond to anything, Auron. He told himself as he sat down.

But when could he tell her what was on his mind? When would it be okay? How would be able to tell her?

"Sorry" wasn't going to work when the time came to tell her what he wanted to tell her ever since he had discovered that Rikku was Sora's daughter, from Cid.

You can't just say, "Rikku, I'm sorry." when the truth was..it was your fault entirely that she didn't have a mother, Auron thought, it was your fault that Rikku had ended up living with the Al Bhed and believed that she was one for 19 years of her life, and never was told until a few days ago that she belonged to the Shinda, Auron's anger rose inside him as he thought. Everything that has happened in her life is your goddamned fault Auron, he thought angrily as the shoopuf took off down the moonflow.

Auron had always felt responsible for everything bad that happened to anyone else, especially whenever the bad event happened to Rikku. No matter what it was, Auron seemed to be able to draw it back to Sora's death. Like when Rikku's home was destroyed and she was all upset about it. She wouldn't be upset about it, had Auron not shot Sora in the first place, which landed Rikku up with the Al Bhed which forced her to live there, so she wouldn't have been upset about it, because it wouldn't have been her home.

* * *

Rikku noticed the look of anger that was appearing on her older friend's face. It was evident he was being bothered by something, and it was causing him to frown, and narrow his eye, like he did when he was mad.

We wouldn't even be on this journey if you hadn't killed her mother, because she'd have known all along about being a Shinda, and would know everything she would need to know about herself..so there would be no need to be out here.

You never would have broken Rikku's heart if you hadn't killed her mother. You wouldn't have ever ended up with the cursed life you had, and gone and gotten yourself killed by Yunalesca, so she would never have had to have been hurt by your sending. She might still be living with her mother, considering me a "family-friend" instead of a "fellow guardian"

Auron just stared at Rikku as he thought. Rikku was just staring out at the slowly moving moonflow. Anger just kept building up in him. Everything bad that happened in Rikku's life, was his fault and she didn't know about it.

How can you just say something this horrible to someone, Rikku would hate him forever. They had been getting along together so well! Now, Auron knew this one bit of information was going to destroy that. Damnit why did I have to pull the trigger? He asked himself.

* * *

"Auron, are you alright?" Rikku asked, something was bothering the older ex-guardian, it was clearly written on his face.

"Of course I'm not alright, I killed your mother..." He thought, or so he had assumed because the words had seemed to ring in his head. But Rikku's look seemed to say different.

Her eyes were wide in shock. Her face was drained of color. "Auron...no..." She said. She didn't want to be hearing this. She put her head in her hands and looked down at the floor from between her fingers.. There was no way that Auron could have killed Sora! No, it just wasn't logical. There was no way. Auron had to be just playing some mean joke on her, and was just saying that! No way did he actually kill Sora!

Auron bowed his head. There he had said it. Unwillingly, but he had said it. Rikku knew the truth now.

"Rikku..." Auron said, he was going to make at least one attempt not to make Rikku hate him so much. To show that he regretted what he had done in the past to her.

* * *

"_Hey, Auron_..." Sora's voice softly said in her head. Rikku looked around the room that her memories had been kind enough to take her to. The sun was rising outside and it's light was casting a golden autumn glow in the room. Sora was lying in a bed covered up a bit. She was looked tired and it was obvious she had been in some pain earlier, because the remnants of tears were upon her face.

"_Sorry I'm late, they wouldn't let me out of training_." A voice said from the other side of the room.

Rikku turned around. Standing at the other end of the room, was a warrior monk who was taking off his helmet. A young Auron was under the helmet. He was looking toward Sora, a small smile of relief upon his face.

Sora looked down at the bundle of blankets in her arms. Auron came by and sat down in a chair next to Sora's bed. "_So? Is it a boy or a girl_?" He asked curiously.

"_It's a healthy little girl, born at 5:21 in the morning on October 13th, in the Bevelle General Hospital, named Rikku_." Sora said with a smile on her face.

She looked down at the little baby looking up at her. She then looked to Auron. "_You, wanna hold her_?" She asked softly.

Auron nodded. As Sora passed Rikku over to him she joked around a little bit when she saw the look on the warrior monk's face as he looked at the baby. " _Now, Auron, you've gotta promise to give her back to me, don't be like Mizu was when he first saw his daughter. I nearly had to knock him out, just so that I could get to spend some time with Rikku_."

Rikku's mouth fell open. Auron's heart had melted when his eyes had come in contact with the baby's big green eyes. The baby looked curiously back at Auron, obviously mystified by this strange man who was holding her. She didn't know whether to cry or not. This man was a bit scary, He was so big and strange looking!

"_He's okay Rikku. He's mama and papa's friend. He may look funny, but he's a good guy. He'd never hurt anyone, unless it was on accident, or he was being forced to_." Sora said gently in a sing-song voice, to baby.

Auron's brown eyes looked softly at the baby. He then looked at Sora. "_She's beautiful...She looks a lot like her mother_.." He said kindly.

Sora smiled a bit and blushed. _"...Ah, come on...Auron." _She said embarrassedly

"_So, why'd Mizu take off?" _Auron asked quiet as he looked down at the baby. It had it's small hands wrapped around Auron's gloved fingers.

Sora looked over. "_Well, He's going to tell my father about Rikku. Then he said he's going out traveling for a little while. I suppose that seeing how overly joyful he was about being a new father, half of the Shinda population will know about my daughter by tomorrow_." She said jokingly.

Looking back down at the baby Auron raised an eyebrow. " _That a bad thing?" _He asked.

Sora shook her head, "_no my dear friend, it's not such a bad thing_.." She said

* * *

"Rikku." Auron's voice broke through her thoughts again.

Looking back at Auron, now was a pair of tearful Al Bhed-green eyes that were just peering at him angrily through tan fingers.

"Auron, you betrayed a friend. Sora said you'd never hurt anyone...unless it was an accident, or if you were being forced to! You killed her!" She said angrily.

Closing his eyes and looking at the ground, Auron sighed. "It was a patrol mission. We we're supposed to find and kill any fiends that were roaming in the streets, and with our orders we were to kill Al Bhed too. Several of the people I was patrolling with mistook Sora for an Al Bhed, and since I was the only one who had any bullets left, they forced me to do it. If I didn't they would have told our commander, and..." Auron muttered. He fell silent as he remember the punishment for not following orders.

Auron shook his head and leaned back in the seat, and looked over the edge at the water. "No, you wouldn't understand it even if I told you. " He muttered quietly. To be honest, he didn't want to relive the torture of the punishment he endured while being in the warrior monks.

There was no response from Rikku other than an angry "Hmph!" Rikku had already crossed her arms and was looking over into the water of the moonflow on her side.

"...Look Rikku. I know it's not going to be much help, but I'm sorry. I had two things to face, killing my friend or being beaten half to death. I didn't know what else to do, and I've been regretting my choice ever since." He said after a few long minutes of silence.

There was still no response from Rikku. Her facial expression had hardly changed. First I find out I'm adopted, then I find out I'm a Shinda, whatever that really is, next I find out that the guy I love is responsible for killing my real mother, this is just freakin' great! What else could I possibly not know? What else could make this situation more complicated?

The only thing that could make this worse, Rikku told herself, is if I find out that Auron is like my father or something. She shivered at that thought, she didn't want to think of how wrong that would have made four years ago, she would have been in love with her own father! gross!

Well, Rikku thought, that's not possible, you look nothing like Auron, and when you were having that flashback a few minutes ago, Sora mentioned that you were Mizu and her's daughter, so my father's real name is Mizu, which means he can't be Auron. Rikku gave a small sigh of relief at that. She didn't want to think about what it would be like if Auron really was her father or something. That'd be just a sick, gross, disgusting, totally wrong thought.

Sure, she hated him right now, because he had just told her he had killed her real mother, but somewhere deep in her heart that the hatred hadn't touched, she still had some love left for Auron.

* * *

An uncomfortable silence fell over them this time. Neither speaking to the other. Auron just sat there with his face in his hands, and his fingers gripping some of his hair, as he looked down at the ground underneath his feet, while Rikku looked out at the Moonflow, trying to keep Auron out of her line of vision.

Every once in awhile Rikku's gaze would go back to Auron briefly. Every time she looked at him, she felt anger, and a bit sad. Sure, Auron had shot his friend, who coincidentally had been Rikku's biological mother, but he had obviously suffered a lot. I mean, he was kicked out of the warrior monk, became a guardian to Yuna's father, was killed by Yunalesca, spent 10 years as an unsent raising Tidus, joined Yuna on her pilgrimage and finally defeated Sin.

Why hell, the only break he got was going to the Farplane after the Eternal Calm started. It's all because of Sora's death. Rikku felt so bad for yelling at Auron, he had gone through enough, and the last thing that he probably needed was a 19 year old shouting at him

But Rikku couldn't bring herself to get past what Auron had done. She couldn't just easily forgive the man who had murdered her mother before she had gotten a chance to know her. At least, she couldn't bring herself to forgive Auron yet that is.

Once the Shoopuf reached the other side of the Moonflow, Rikku got up and marched off ahead of Auron. Silence held strong between them as they headed toward Guadosalam.

The whole way down there Rikku could practically read Auron's thoughts, just by looking at the way that he distanced himself from Rikku, and he walked slowly behind her, with his head slightly hung.

Auron regretting having said anything and ruined everything between him and Rikku. They had been getting along so well, compared to how they had gotten along on the pilgrimage.

It was ironic almost, Rikku thought, Auron believed that their relationship had just ended here on the Moonflow, and Rikku was going to hate him forever. What was ironic about it, was that they had met, here on the Moonflow 4 years ago (Rikku couldn't say that they had met for the first time here, because she really had met Auron for the very first time 19 years go, in Bevelle), and so in a sense, Auron was believing that their relationship had begun at the Moonflow, and had ended here on the Moonflow. (only with a time span of 4 years in between.)

* * *

"...Auron. I want to forgive you, but I can't. At least, not yet. It's just that I don't know if I can trust you." She said.

She wasn't sure, if those were the correct words of choice. Was it really an issue of trust that was keeping Rikku from forgiving Auron? Or was it just that she didn't want to be hurt again? What was to say that Auron didn't have any more secrets like what he had just told her, and the moment that she forgave him one of those such secrets would bring itself out into the open, and drive them apart again?

Turning and looking away from Auron, Rikku swiftly marched into Guadosalam.

The cry of a child suddenly echoed in her head.

Rikku closed her eyes as she continued to walk. It had been almost 2 or so days since she had begun to hear this child pleading for help. She was sure, that the kid was not going to last much longer.

At least, Rikku knew for a fact, that when the storm got bad on the Thunderplains traveling became extremely difficult, but at least there were no fiends running about, because all the fiends normally seek shelter in caves.

But if they were going to make it to the Thunderplains before that kid's energy gave out, and he became a fiend's dinner, they would have to make their stay in Guadosalam short.

Rikku casted a look back to Auron. She was sure he would understand.

* * *

(_Okay, I have to end the chapter here...because I've been working on it for waaay tooo long, and it's about time that I found a stopping point! Well, I would like to know what you thought of this chapter. And I am sorry for it taking so long. Anyhow, until next chapter!) _


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X

**Chapter 8: Unexpected Reunion.**

Guadosalam, had changed. It was entirely noticeable. More than just Guado seemed to reside here now. Ronso, Al Bhed, Hypello, and normal people seemed to have started to call this place home. It had been one of the first things that Auron had noticed when he had stepped out of the Farplane, and had made his way out into Guadosalam, a few weeks back.

But to be quiet honest, Auron only remembered ending up in Luca realizing he was truly alive again. Sure, he remembered coming out of the Farplane, and into guadosalam. (He had frightened several people when he had done this, and by the looks they were giving him, they remembered it.) but those were only vague. hazy memories.

Auron didn't know, why he could barely remember having made his way from Guadosalam, to Luca, and he particularly didn't care.

Part of the reason was 50 ft ahead of him chatting with some of the people who had taken up residence in Guadosalam,(a blonde haired woman wearing a rather showy outfit, and her cohorts--who were a tall skinny man and a shorter fatter man--both of whom were dressed in purple.) ,possibly within the last 4 years.

Rikku had been part of the reason he had ended up in Luca. It had only been a few weeks ago that he had come from the Farplane, and had run into Cid in his travels.

* * *

Cid had been out on the Thunderplains, (which Auron was surprised to see wasn't such a threat anymore, except with the excessive amount of rain.) coming up with some way to tell Rikku that she was adopted. 

_"..Rikku. I...don't know how to say this exactly, but um..."_ Auron remembered hearing Cid say as he approached the Al Bhed leader.

Cid hung his head. "_Damn. Taking charge of the Al Bhed is nothing compared to this!" _

Auron's head was still rather foggy, and since it had been four years since he had need to use his legs to move, he was still trying to regain his former strength. (All dead souls on the Farplane were pyreflies and all they really did was just float around lazily, until their memory was called upon--which in that time they assumed a ghostly, yet human, form-- but even there they couldn't so much as move.)

He had sort of fell behind Cid, and had obviously made loud enough of a noise to catch Cid's attention. Auron had watched the Al Bhed jump nearly ten feet out of shock. Auron assumed it was either because he hadn't been expecting anyone to have been nearby, or because possibly he had recognized Auron despite the legendary guardian's soaked clothing, and younger appearance. (then again, possibly not because when Cid had gone to see if Auron was alright, he had jumped in surprise once he had saw Auron's face.)

"_What, the hell? Don't you have enough damned sense in your brain not to scare people like that_!" Had been the exact words of surprise that Auron had heard Cid shouting at him.

Cid hadn't given Auron any time to answer. "_Who, cares? You need help. You look awful! What the hell are you doing here in Spira anyhow? I thought you went off to the Farplane, at least that's what Rikku told me_."

Auron just looked at the ground. His voice hadn't return to him yet, just like the biggest majority of his strength, so he couldn't respond well enough to be understood.

It had been a few minutes, before he had been able to tell Cid that even he wasn't sure about why he was in Spira or not, or even why Jecht, Braksa and their wives had returned before him.

Some how from there, they had ended up in a conversation about Rikku. Where upon Auron had learned that Cid was not Rikku's father, and that Rikku was now living in Luca.

* * *

The next thing Auron knew, as he stood there now in Guadosalam, Rikku was walking up to him. 

"Looks like we swung and missed here. Not one person in this town is a Shinda! I asked Leblanc, that woman over there, since she knows everyone in this town, and knows if anyone is keeping a secret, and she said, she said not one person in this town would know anything about any Shinda tribe, or being apart of it." She said cheerfully.

As Auron followed her out of Guadosalam Rikku turned to him. "You're not forgiven yet. Just because I'm being nice to you doesn't mean I forgive you." She said turning around and walking backwards to talk to Auron.

Auron nodded, to signal to Rikku that he understood.

"You do realize where we're heading don't you?" He asked as they got close to the Thunderplains.

Before Rikku could answer they had arrived at the Thunderplains. Lightening struck one of the towers nearby, and Thunder boomed loudly. Auron was expecting Rikku to cower over in fear, but was a bit surprised to see that she had yet to start crying.

Rikku could see the surprise in Auron's eyes. She smiled and then put her hands behind her back. "Yup! That's right Auron! A bolt of Lightening just struck nearby, and the thunder crashed, and I didn't flinch! And you wanna know why? I got over my fear of lightening!" She said proudly, and cheerfully.

She could see that Auron was happy for her, and it made her feel good to see this.

* * *

"Why'd you do it?" Auron asked as they started across. 

Rikku smiled and then looked at Auron. "Well, you see there was this certain person that I liked, who died, and you see I wanted to do something special for him, after he died. That's when I remembered how this guy had been irritated by me being scared of thunder and all and was kinda mean to me because of it. But I knew if I got over my fear no one would tease me about it and if he found out about it, he'd be happy that I did." She said.

Auron mentally smiled. He understood why Rikku had gotten up the courage to face her fear. She had done it for him. "I see." was all he managed to say to her though.

As they walked on, they came to a part of the plains before the agency that the storm was awful in. In a matter of seconds it was hard to see five feet in front of you. The rain poured down heavily.

"_He's here, somewhere..." _Rikku thought as she looked around.

Suddenly she took off into the rain, running away from the path.

"Rikku!" Auron shouted as the Al Bhed became a shadow in a thick gray wall of rain.

He followed her, trying to keep up with her, and not let her out of his sight, but it was difficult since Rikku was a born thief, and therefore naturally had a speed that Auron didn't have.

* * *

When he caught up with Rikku she was approaching another shadow. 

When they came closer, Auron could see that the other shadow was a small child of a about six or seven years of age. He had brown hair and slightly tan skin. He wore a cloak made out of a black material. The kid wore a concentrated look on his face with his eyes close. One hand was on the side of his forehead, and the other was on the ground. Tears-stained his face however.

He seemed to be inside some sort of bubble, because the rain just ran off around him, instead of falling directly on him as it was with the two of them.

As Rikku stepped nearer to the kid, he must have sense her presence. His eyes snapped open, and he looked up terrified at Rikku. Before anything else could be done though, the boy passed out.

Rikku caught him before he hit the ground.. She then looked up at Auron. He was giving her a bit of a curious look. Rikku must have known this kid was out here, because over the wind you couldn't hear anything, and the kid had been pretty silent. Plus, on top of that they were pretty far off from the road.

"Auron, this kid has been out here for two or more days! The reason that I knew he was here, was because...I heard him calling for help in my head.." She said trying to get to her feet with the kid.

She stumbled a little bit as she got to her feet. "We...have to get..him...to the...travel agency." She said as she tried moving. The kid was a bit heavy for her, and Auron could tell that, so he decided to help her out.

The next thing Rikku knew, Auron had taken the kid out of her arms and began carrying the kid. "You lead the way to the agency." He said looking down at Rikku.

"Just don't get too far ahead."

Rikku nodded and took the lead, walking a strait path back toward the road. Since it was hard to see, the only thing that Rikku could use to help her find the road again was the feel of the dirt beneath her feet.

* * *

The dirt on the road was much more hard and compacted than the road away from the road, because obviously, the road had been traveled on more, and the ground had been worn enough to where it was hard and compact. 

Once on road, Rikku followed her feet until the travel agency came into view. She almost gave a huge sigh of relief when she saw it.

She and Auron entered the travel agency, soaking wet, and freezing.

Before they could move toward the counter to ask for help, they were met by two people.

"...Daren!" a man shouted in shock as Auron entered the agency, with the kid in his arms.

The man, an Al Bhed looking man in his late 30s, looked at the both of them, worried.

"Sir, is this your son?" Rikku asked trying to calm the man down.

The man shook his head. "Not exactly, My wife and I, have been taking care of Daren since his mother and father passed." The man said.

Before Rikku could say anything else, the man asked. "Is Daren alright?"

* * *

Rikku nodded and then took the kid, Daren, from Auron. "He just needs to get out of these wet clothes, and he needs some rest." she said. 

The man nodded. " He can rest and get a change of clothing in the room that my wife and I are staying in." He said as he led Rikku and Auron into a small room down the hall.

"We got attacked by this guy while we were crossing the Thunderplains, he got a hold of Daren and took off. When we went to look for him, the storm got so bad that we were forced to turn back, and take refuge here." The man said as he led them in.

Auron nodded to show the man he understood what he was saying.

Once the other man had managed to get the little boy into to some diffrent, dryer, clothing he laid the kid down on one of the beds in the room. The man led them out of the room.

* * *

"Thank you so much for finding Daren." He said rubbing the back of his neck and looking over at Auron. 

"No problem! He did call for help." Rikku said as she approached the counter. Once she was at the counter, she turned to Auron. "I'm gonna get us a room here, okay? The storm should let up after while. So until then, I'm gonna go take a shower, and get out of these clothes so that they can dry. Then I might go take a small nap." She said after she paid the guy at the counter the money for the room.

She then smiled and walked off down the hall. Auron just watched her, wordlessly.

"My isn't she a cute one? Sorta reminds me of my little girl, with how her eyes look." The guy next to Auron said with a small smiled, as he looked over at Auron.

Auron glanced over at the man. "You're a father?" He asked raising his eyebrow curiously.

The man nodded. "Yes I am. Well, _was_ is more of the appropriate word. My little girl drowned while she was an infant. Makes me sad every time I think about her. She was such a adorable little child, hell, I practically fell in love with her the day she was born. She'd have celebrated her 19th birthday on the 13th, if she was still alive." He said looking down at the floor.

Looking back down the hallway toward the room that Rikku had gone into.

When he looked back, he could see that the man was examining him, as if he were familiar.

"Looks like time doesn't effect you like it does the rest of us, eh Auron?" The man said.

The mention of his name from a stranger, caught Auron off guard. How did this man know his name?

The man noticed Auron's shock. He smiled broadly and put his hands on his hips. "Now come on Auron, Surely you remember me? Mizu?" he asked.

Mizu? As in Rikku's biological father, Mizu? Was that who he was talking to right now?

"Haven't seen you seen you came and told me you killed Sora, and that little Rikku had probably drowned." Mizu said with a distant gaze.

Auron couldn't do anything but just stare at Mizu. There was no way that he had ended up rescuing a child that coincidentally was being taken care of by his old friend, and Rikku's father.

Mizu smiled and then crossed his arms. "So, who's the girl?" He asked curiously after a minute.

"Her name is Rikku." Auron simply stated, as he watched Mizu's face go from cheerful, to shocked.

* * *

(_Okay, Probably going to end the chapter off there, because I feel I'm making this too long. Sorry for the delay, I've been in busy with writers block on this story (blame it for this chapter being lame if you think it is.), and other things. School is starting back for me soon, so, I don't know If I'll be able to get in another chapter by the time I go home, but I can try! anyhow, I hope that you liked this chapter, and I hope you will review.)_


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X

**Chapter 9: Voices of the Past**

Mizu was surprised by this comment that he had to sit down. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Is that really...my..little girl?" He asked in a small quiet whisper, as he looked down the hall toward where Rikku disappeared.

Auron looked down at Mizu, and nodded.

The man who was Rikku's father put his face in his hands. "...But how is she alive?"

Mizu looked up at Auron as his former friend sat down across from him. After a few moments of silence, Auron began to speak. He begun telling Mizu the story of what happened, using what he knew, and what Cid had told him to form the story.

Once it was over, Mizu nodded. "So, my little Rikku was living with the Al Bhed? Interesting." He said as he looked toward the counter.

Auron raised his eyebrow. He didn't understand what Mizu found too interesting about it. Seeing Auron's look of confusion, Mizu explained. "In some of the legends of the Shinda tribe that Sora and I are from, it is said our tribe and the Al Bhed were one tribe way in the past. However, somewhere in history, our tribe and the Al Bhed separated over some unknown matter."

"The funny thing about it is...the Shinda of the tribe that Sora and I belong to, still carry the Al Bhed blood, therefore in the slightest way, making us Al Bhed too, and therefore, making Rikku Al Bhed in a way too. It is funny that Rikku should end up living with the Al Bhed, when it is quite possible that any number of them could be a distant relative of hers." Mizu said with a small laugh.

* * *

Mizu looked over at Auron and smiled. "Anyhow, I'm glad that Rikku has turned out so well." He said.

He looked over to the corner of the shop. A cloaked woman stood there. The hood of her cloak was pulled over her head, and she appeared to be off in her own little world.

Mizu looked at the woman with a frown for a while, and then turned his head to look out the door. He shook his head. It was obvious to Auron, that he was hurting on the inside seeing the woman how she was.

It struck Auron suddenly, and a bit painfully, at who that might be. Before he had much more time to think about it, the woman had already approached them. "Mizu, honey? who are you talking to?" A light voice as gentle as a breeze asked once she had come up to the table.

Auron could see her familiar Al-Bhed green eyes looking at him, however something seemed missing in these eyes. Something that Auron couldn't point out, but he knew for a fact that these eyes were missing something that they had formerly had in them.

"Have we met before? You seem...oddly familiar. But...I'm almost positive I would have remembered you if we had met." She said looking at Auron, with a small grin across her face.

Mizu looked up at the woman. "Sora, this is Auron. He's a friend of ours. You've known him for years." He said in a kind voice, as he put his hand on Sora's arm.

Sora continued to stare at Auron, with the same grin on her face. To Auron, her expression made her look like a child. She then giggled a bit and shook her head. "Are you sure Mizu? He doesn't seem familiar at all. Maybe you're mistaking him for someone?" She stated as she put her hands on her husband's shoulders.

She smiled at Auron briefly. "I'm sorry. I hope that Mizu isn't bothering you." She said kindly, bowing a slight bit.

Auron shook his head, as he spoke. "It's no problem."

Mizu looked up. "Sora, This man rescued Daren. Perhaps you should go and check on Daren? He's in our room resting." He said to Sora. She nodded and slowly walked away, her black-cloaks making a light swishing noise as she walked.

Silence fell between Mizu and Auron briefly. Mizu looked away from Auron's questioned eye. What was wrong with Sora? Why was she acting like she didn't know or recognize him? Why was she alive? Mizu could just see the questions bubbling up inside Auron, until they were ready to burst out.

"Here, let me explain all that has happened.." Mizu began.

* * *

"After, you had come and told me about how you had killed Sora and how Rikku was probably dead as well, I decided to try to get over it, by traveling more. So, I left Sora and I's home in Bevelle, and started out. For awhile, It was just me. But then I came across Daren, we traveled around for awhile, until...about a year ago. We were exploring the ruins of the Macalania temple, and we found Sora, half conscious in the snow."

"I'll admit it was a surprise, because I knew Sora had long since been dead, I found it impossible for her to be there. She barely remembered being married to me, or even who she or I were. I asked her about Rikku, and she didn't even remember her." Mizu said shaking his head.

With a sigh, Mizu looked out at the pouring rain. He shook his head and frowned. "Auron. She's just not my Sora without her memory." He said looking over at his old friend sadly.

"I see her smile childishly at the mere mention of an event in her past, and she denies it. With a smile she denies that it ever happened. When I see her smile like that, it makes me feel like I'm losing her all over again. She's becoming a stranger to me..." He continued on, his brow creasing as he looked at the ground, his Al Bhed eyes darkening.

Auron did nothing. He knew how Mizu was feeling, but there was nothing that he could do for his friend. It wasn't his business to help others cope with emotional problems. That wasn't his business, and nothing good could come with him getting involved, even if it was to try to help someone.

Mizu took a deep shaky breath and looked down the hall. "Anyhow Auron, tell me, what has been going on with you? What have you been up to? Where have you been?" He asked, becoming cheerful quickly.

I guess that is a trait that Rikku received from Mizu, the capability of changing emotions quickly, Auron thought as Mizu spoke.

* * *

Auron began telling Mizu everything that had happened to him in the last 19 years. It was something Auron rarely did, tell people about everything that happened in the past. Normally he'd tell a little and then withhold the rest of the information. That or he'd hurriedly change the conversation saying that they didn't have time to talk. However since he wasn't in a hurry and Mizu was a friend, he decided to talk.

He told Mizu everything he could. Even about being killed by Yunalesca and being unsent. Every once in awhile Mizu would interrupt with a question.

* * *

"So, Wen is dead?" He asked with frown as Auron reached that part.

Auron raised an eyebrow, "You didn't know?" He asked. How could Mizu not have known about the death of one of the Maesters of Yevon who was formerly a friend of Auron's, Wen Kinoc. The news had spread quickly and shocked all of Spira, but apparently the news never reached Mizu's ears until just now.

Mizu shook his head. "Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. At least, he can be with Beatrice. Perhaps her spirit's voice will be less mournful." he said with a frown.

"You haven't heard Beatrice in the last 4 years?"Auron asked raising an eyebrow.

Mizu laughed. "Hey, in the past four years I've hard a lot on my mind, No time have a clear mind to listen to the voices of the souls on the Farplane. If I had the time, I would have known you were back from the Farplane." He said. A smile flashing across his face.

Auron knew, when a person of the Shinda tribe, who had developed their abilities enough, cleared their mind they could hear the voices of the Farplane. At least this proved to be true in Mizu's case and sometimes it happened to him too, but not often.

The last time this, whatever it could be called, had happened to Auron was probably 14 years ago, a while after he had arrived in "Dream Zanarkand" Braska and Jecht, he could hear them. Even if he couldn't see them. But since it was Dream Zanarkand, the voices of the Farplane were always echoing around, even if Auron was the only one in that dream would who could hear them. (He knew this, because he had once asked Tidus if the voices he was hearing ever shut up..and to Auron's suprise, Tidus (10 years old at the time), stared at him like he was crazy before glaring and walking away. Before he left he muttered. "What voices? You're just crazy old man!" )

The first time that he had heard those voices was when he was probably twenty. It was a few months after Beatrice had died. Beatrice was older than Auron, she was a good friend of his and the only daughter of the Highpriest of Bevelle. The very woman that Auron had been banished from the warrior monks and "doomed to obscurity" by for refusing her hand in marriage.

* * *

Simple explaination really. By the time that the whole marriage issue had come up, Auron and Beatrice were too good of friends to wreck their friendship by a proposed arranged marriage that Beatrice's father was talking about. It was easy enough to ruin a friendship by being in a marriage that was certain to fail.

No matter how good of friends they had been, the marriage wasn't going to work. The reason? Beatrice was already in love with someone else. Who? She was in love with a man named Wen Kinoc, Auron's best friend and warrior monk. If she and Auron were to be married, then Auron knew that Beatrice would be unhappy, because she wouldn't be married to someone she loved with all her heart.

Auron knew that he never wanted Beatrice to be unhappy, or be forced to do something she didn't want to do. (Like being married to a friend, rather than her love) So, when he ws faced by Beatrice's father,infront of all the warrior monks and was told that he was to be married to Beatrice, he looked at Beatrice's father and sternly objected to the marriage.

So. for the sake of Beatrice, he was booted from the warrior monks, and as Braska liked to call it "Doomed to obscurity".

Of course, Auron's feelings about being married to Beatrice had probably only been the half of it to cause the consequences of his actions, Sora had been killed three months prior to then anyhow, and as Sora had threatened...his life was nothing but one disaster after another. The consequences of refusing to marry Beatrice, probably were a result of Sora's death.

Besides the reason of wanting Beatrice to be happy, there was another reason that he refused to marry Beatrice. Weeks prior to this "event", Kinoc had told Auron about his plan to propose to Beatrice. The only reason that he had told Auron this instead of announcing the marriage after he had proposed was because he had wanted Auron to be his best man, and he had wanted Auron to help him out in asking the question.

It was probably about a year after the incident between the arranged marriage and all, that Beatrice and Kinoc had married and as Kinoc had promised, Auron was the best man at the wedding.

The marriage lasted..about..two and a half years. One day, Beatrice had been out superivising a training exercise with some of the warrior monks from Bevelle and Macalania out at the Calm Lands. While she was there, Sin had appeared killing the majority of the troops, Beatrice along with them.

A warrior monk had broken the news to Auron and Kinoc several days before the official reports had been released, apparently the man had been there with Beatrice in her final moments.

The news had been like a knife being ran into their chest, followed by a slap in the face by a thousand pounds of bricks, to both Auron and Kinoc.

* * *

However, even though the pain that each had endured was quite the same, their way of coping with it and moving on was very different.

While Kinoc busied himself with training for the warrior monks, Auron spent several hours undergoing one of the most important things that a Shinda would go through during the process of gaining skill with inner abilities, meditation.

Sora had told Auron, years ago, that meditation for a Shinda was a way to clear the mind and allow the soul to develop and build a "connection" with the source of the Shinda's power. Auron didn't quite understand what Sora meant but he guessed he'd figure it out some day. She said that with the connection a Shinda could summon up his or her power with no concentration required.

Auron would spend several days on end meditating. It worried Braska, and his wife. Auron knew that it would, but he still would spend long hours in the dark meditating.

"Auron, keep it up and you're going to end up mediating you're self into a coma!" Alice once told him when she had found he had spent the entire day, from that morning until the next, meditating. She had been joking around with him, but Auron could hint the seriousness and worry underlying her voice.

About a month into long meditations, Auron had heard voices. He was alone and in the quietest room when he lived, and all of a sudden a crowd of voices just invaded his head.

He had to admit, at first he was a bit overwhelmed and confused about the voices, until one voice spoke to him directly, standing out among the others. It was Beatrice's. She told him that she was okay, but it was lonely on the Farplane. She missed everybody. Then, she was gone.

Auron's meditation was broken and he just suddenly awoke as if he had been asleep. the only difference, he was mentally exhausted and physically drained of energy, as if his "sleep" had done the reverse effects of what rest is supposed to do.

Mizu, had told him a long time ago, that the source of the Shinda's power was located deep within the Farplane. When a Shinda made a connection with the source, the subconscious of that person is sent into the Farplane and travels directly to the power source. This allowed them to hear the voices of the voices of the dead as if they were among the dead themselves, or talking to the spirit of that person in the Farplane in Guadosalam.

Ever since that time, Auron practiced hearing the voices every once in awhile. Sometimes he would hear and talk to Beatrice. Sometimes he would hear and talk to his grandfather. Sometimes he would hear and talk to his own parents. Other times, he would hear and talk to strangers on the Farplane. But each time he talked, he avoided trying to talk to Sora, or even hear her voice. He was always certain that if he had talked to Sora on the Farplane, she would be tormenting him

He kind of hoped that Sora wouldn't get her memory back. He sort of hoped she'd never be her normal self. Okay, he didn't hope that to spite Sora or anything. He just didn't want her to remember what he did and have it be like he imagined, he didn't want her to hate him for what he did.

* * *

"Anyhow, Wen is dead. But it happened a long time ago." Auron said shaking his head and turning to look at Mizu.

Mizu nodded, then stretched. "I assume that his murderer, Maester Seymour did you say? I assume he is dead, or living a cursed life." He said off-handedly.

Auron crossed his arms and frowned at this. He knew that Mizu didn't mean to say what he did, but Auron couldn't help but feel a little bit offended by it.

Mizu saw the frown and quickly realized his mistake. "Oh, no, Auron. I didn't mean it that way! I wasn't implying anything about you!" He said rushed with a sigh of resentment.

Waving a hand, Auron shrugged it off. "No it's alright. Anyways. Yes, Maester Seymour has paid the price of killing a Shinda. He has died his fair share of times." He muttered. His tone of voice, seemed to hint to Mizu that he didn't want to bring up the memory of each encounter with Seymour that had occurred four years ago.

"Anyhow, So my little Rikku is an adult?" Mizu asked changing the subject.

Auron nodded and looked down the hall. "Yeah, hard to believe. I hardly recognized her when I saw her the other day. Of course then again, I didn't recognize her the first time we met after what had happened back 19 years ago." He said with a small laugh.

Mizu smiled a bit. "She looks so much like Sora." He said softly. He then shook his head and put his hand on his forehead. "Lord, I feel old."

"Forty-one isn't old Mizu." Auron stated.

"Of course like I'd know...I'm only thirty-nine." He thought to himself looking in a mirror behind the counter in the travel agency, "Not that my reflection show it."

Mizu shook his head. "I know that. It's just..seeing you're little girl as she is now, knowing that for several years she hasn't been you're little girl but rather, you're grown up daughter. Knowing you've missed out on her whole life. It just makes you feel old" He said walking across the room.

* * *

Auron rubbed his forehead, he crossed his arms and leaned against the door. Closing his eyes he sighed.

Mizu raised an eyebrow.

"Auron, you should get some rest. You're starting to look sick and severely stressed." He said.

Auron walked over to the chair that he was sitting in earlier and slumped down into it. He put his hands on his forehead and rested his elbows on his kneecaps. He was starting to look dizzy. A cold sweat broke out across his face.

"Are you alright?! Auron? Auron!" Mizu asked/shouted in a bit of a panic as what ever was happening to Auron at the time appeared to be getting worse.

A few minutes had passed, and then the feeling that Auron had experienced has passed. He blinked and cleared the sweat from his forehead and sat up.

"I'm fine Mizu, it was nothing. I'm probably still recovering from returning from the Farplane. Things like this have happened recently. It's nothing." He said not looking at Mizu

Mizu crossed his arms and looked sternly down at Auron. Showing Auron that he didn't believe a word of what he was being told.

"Auron...is there something going on, that you're not telling me?"

"You sound like my grandfather did when ever he thought I did something that I wasn't telling him about." Auron said sarcastically.

"Auron..." Mizu said sternly looking down at Auron.

Looking up, Auron shot Mizu a harsh look. He didn't even mean for it to be that way but it was. "I said it was nothing! I don't want to talk about it!" He barked at Mizu irritably.

Mizu bowed his head, "I see. Sorry."

Auron rested his head in his hands again. He remained silent. He didn't really know what to do. He didn't want to worry Mizu further by telling him what really was going on, but then again he didn't want to continue lying to his friend that it wasn't serious.

"I'm sorry Mizu. I'd rather not talk about it right now." He said looking up at Mizu.

_

* * *

_

_(Chapter 9: DONE! Whee!! Sorry that it took so long for this chapter to be put up. I haven't been near a computer in a long time and really haven't had the time to work on this, I've been busy with school related stuff (Like Junior Class fundraisers to get money for the prom) and of course a slight case of writer's block. Anyhow. I hope that you liked this chapter. Well, until next time!)_


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X

**Chapter 10: My first Friend.**

Steam reached Rikku's nose as the water fell around her. she just stood there letting her self get soaked by the shower water. She frowned at her wrist. She begun to think again, about the past.

* * *

All she could see was Sora walking along the streets of Bevelle. It was a snowy day. Rikku could feel the cold puffs of breath coming from Sora's mouth as if it were her own breath. She could feel the wind rippling through Sora's black cloak. Soon a tune started coming from Sora's lips. Rikku could feel herself singing.

After a few verses of the song, Sora stopped dead in her tracks and fell silent. A massive uproar was heard nearby. Sora looked toward the source of the noise. Several warrior monks and fiends were gathered in a group. All appeared to be focused on one object in the center.

When the crowd shifted slightly, Rikku could see a form in the center, of a young person. Of course the form of the person wasn't too much older than Sora herself since she was, as far as Rikku could guess, only at least 17 years old. Rikku didn't quite understand it. Why was she having a "memory" of a time way before she was even conceived? (Rikku knew it had to be from before then since Sora appeared to be at least 22 during the memory that Rikku had of Sora's death, and Rikku knew she was only a few months old when Sora had been shot. So Sora had to have been 22 (or at least 21, or 23 considering that Rikku had no earthly idea when Sora's birthday was in relation to October 13th.) So 17 years old was too early for Rikku to have even been thought of.)

She didn't bother to try to understand it. Right now, the crowd was becoming more brutal as the young person tried to fight them off. They had him down on the ground in no time, chained like a beast, being beaten ferociously. The person, from what Rikku could see, was struggling against his bindings and trying to get to his feet. Repeatedly he took blows to the face and to the stomach. Fiends were trying to rip him apart.

Sora watched this for several minutes. A desperate look was on her face. Rikku could tell Sora was worried about the man, but at the same time she felt there was nothing she could do.

Then Sora started walking toward the crowd. She was looking displeased. "_Stop this at once_!" She shouted firmly.

The firmness of her voice cause her voice to boom loudly in Rikku's ears. It was an unusual tone. Rikku was used to in her "memory" Sora having a voice as soft as the wind. A voice that gently rolled from her mouth like clouds roll through the sky. Now her voice sounded like Thunder.

The fiends and the warrior monks stopped their brutal hazing and turned to Sora.

"_Why should we? What do you care about this boy's life_?" One warrior monk asked roughly.

Sora's eyes narrowed.

"_Away with you! Lest you want us to take your life before this boy's life is extinguished_!" Another monk said drawing his weapon and aiming it at Sora.

But Sora did not budge. She stared down the rifle's barrel and into the eye of the man.

"_Destroy me. You will only be sacrificing yourselves_." She said in a threatingly voice as cold as ice.

Several of the warrior monks began laughing loudly. This woman couldn't be serious could she?

Squaring her shoulders, Sora closed her yes and turned her palms to face the crowd. She then extended her hands toward the warrior monks.

* * *

Rikku felt a vibration run though her body. She could feel Sora's energy coursing through her as if she were a part of Sora, and was there at that very moment.

Sora's cloak rippled around her, being played with by the energy that Sora was gathering. Her hair floated out around her gracefully. When she dropped her hands and her robes stopped rippling and her hair fell back around her face and onto her shoulders. She opened her eyes. The fiends among the warrior monks had burst in the pyreflies.

The warrior monks were sort of freaked out by this occurrence. They were too afraid to show Sora this. They just grunted.

"_Fine, we'll leave him alone. I doubt he'll be alive much longer anyhow_." One of the monks said waving his hand as the other monks followed him. As they passed by the severely injured figure lying there, still bound by chains, they gave him one last kick, or spit on him.

Sora approached the person and knelt down to him to see how serious the man's wounds were and what she could do. She reached for the chains around the mean to free him.

He looked up at her with a terrified look on his face. He resisted Sora even touching him in the slightest way.

"_Stay away from me, Al Bhed harlot_!" He muttered fiercely through his bleeding lips.

Sora sighed and took the chains off the man. "_I'm going to disregard that was even said, on the count that I just saved your life_."She muttered as she helped the man to his feet steadying him on her shoulder.

"_I said..stay away from me_." He said.

Sora looked at the man's left arm that she had draped around her shoulder to help balance the man. "_As I thought_."She muttered under her breath. She then frowned and looked at the man. She used her free hand to search the pouch at her hip for a potion.

Withdrawing the bottle from the pouch she leaned the man against the nearby wall. She opened it up and held it out to the man. "_Here, take this. It's not gonna heal up all of your bruises and injuries but at least it'll help you stop bleeding_."She said softly.

The man did not want the potion. He refused to take anything from an Al Bhed looking person.

Sora glared. "_Okay, you've gotta choose, as it seems you can barely stand up on your own two feet and if you accept the potion and trust that it's not poison, I'll have to give it to you anyways, you can either accept the potion, or you can disregard the fact that I'm trying to save your life and I'll just have to force this down your throat_." she said

"_I'd rather be left for dead than to be touched by the filthy hands of your kind_." The man said spitting up blood on Sora's cloak.

Sora frowned. She was looking ticked off. "_Alright have it your way, but you should know leaving someone to die..goes against my nature_." She said. She then forced the man's mouth open and forced the potion down his throat.

* * *

Most of the man's wounds healed. Sora crossed her arms. "_Now...excuse me. What were you saying? Ah yes, speaking ill of the Al Bhed! You ought to be disgusted with yourself! No self-respecting Shinda would speak ill of another race. Our tribe is composed off all the races in Spira. You, may very well carry a trace of Al Bhed blood in your veins_!" She said.

The man leaned against the wall further. Sora put her hands on her hips and frowned. "_Oh, I should have guessed you were drunk_." She muttered.

The man looked up. "_Who..." _He began curiously and groggily.

Sora frowned. "_You didn't get drunk on your own did you? Those warrior monks forced alcohol into your system while they were beating the life out of you. That is just low and disgraceful! All to cover up their tracks and make it seem like you brought it upon yourself, had an accident while drunk. Well...I'd like for them to try to cover-up why if you had died they would have found your body bound in chains!!" _She muttered helping set the man back up as he started to slide down the wall.

"_Who..are you_?" He asked.

Sora smiled gently. "_My name is Sora_." she said.

The man looked over. "_Auron_." He then stated. "_Thank you_."

The smile on Sora's face widened "_Don't mention it. Besides I always lend a helping hand to some one regardless of if they are my kind or not_."

Auron looked up curiously. "_Your kind_?" He asked.

Sora smiled and lifted Auron's left wrist up. "_See this? You know what it means_?" She asked. Auron nodded.

"_My grandfather told me that it means I'm a member of the Shinda tribe_."

Sora let go of Auron's wrist. "_I am of the same tribe_." She said. She took of her cloak to show Auron the symbol on her left shoulder lade, right next to the strap of her long black dress that she wore under her cloak.

Auron was surprised. He wasn't believing what he was seeing. He never knew that there were Al Bhed-like people that were like him.

"_Ah suprising..is it not_?" Sora asked. She then started to stare at Auron's face. A look of curiousness came over her face. Her eyes darted to the sword that Auron had been using as a weapon.

"_That's a very amazing looking weapon. A Katana right? Where did you get something so beautifully crafted like that_?" she asked lifting the sword slightly and running her fingers across the blade's face.

"_My grandfather made it. He was a blacksmith and a craftsman. He made it for me before he died..it's name is Masamune_."

Sora gasped and stepped back after a moment. She bowed her head to Auron. "_You're Musuko's grandson! You have to be! Musuko told me that only his grandson would wield the Masamune_."She said cheerfully.

"_You know my grandfather_?" Auron asked curiously.

Sora rubbed the back of her neck. "_I do not know Musuko personally. I have never met the man while he was alive, but I have spoken to his spirit. He told me about you. He always spoke so fondly of his grandson. Said that one day we would possibly meet_." She said kindly bowing once more.

Auron raised an eyebrow. Sora looked over with a sigh. "_You'll understand how I spoke to your grandfather one of these days_." She stated as Auron regained his strength to stand on his feet.

"_Now, perhaps you can tell me why those warrior monks were beating the living daylights out of you_?" Sora asked.

* * *

Turning away from Sora, Auron frowned. "_they do things like that when someone does nothing that is against what they want to do. Basically the rule among some of the warrior monks is either do as we say or die_." he said.

Sora laughed and shook her head. "_Warrior monks are so lowly at times. They'll do anything to get their way_!"She said barely unable to retain her laughter. Auron gave Sora a short of glare as if to say I don't see what's so funny.

Waving a hand Sora shrugged. "_I'm sorry I don't mean to insult your line of work. It's just that it seems that most warrior monks live by the code 'sink to a low level or die' or 'kill the non-conformist.' you know, it can be degusting_." She said.

She then looked at Auron. "_Except you though. You've got a good head on your shoulders. Result of decent up bringing. Musuko would have never allowed his son or grandson to act that way_." She added with a wink .

Auron glanced at Sora then into the water nearby. Sora put her hand on Auron's shoulder. "_Hey, let me walk you home. It's getting a little late, and it looks like it's going to snow. I have to go to the prison anyhow_."She said kindly glancing at the sky briefly.

Auron bit his lip. He looked over nervously. "_There's just one thing about that... I was kicked out of the warrior monks' living quarters a few weeks ago, and I really don't have anywhere to live. So there really is no where for you to walk me to_." He stated.

Sora frowned deeply. She took hold of Auron's arm and started to drag him down the street.

_"Well, that's just unacceptable! I"m not about to let Musuko's grandson sleep out in the cold! Come on, you're coming with me! You're going to say with us. You're going to have to support yourself though, you know buy food and clothing with the money they're paying you_."She said in one breath as she led Auron down the road.

After awhile Sora let go of Auron's arm. "_But first we've got to go stop by the jail_." She said as they approached the building that housed the jail.

"_Why_?"Auron asked.

Sora frowned and looked around. "_Well, I have to pay the bail for my husband_." She said.

"_Aren't you a little young to be married_?"

"_Well, no actually. I'm only two years away from being an adult and there is no age limit to marriage among the Shinda...as long as the people are old enough to understand what's going on, and their parents approve of it..if they are under 19_." Sora stated. "_Besides your mother married your father when she was 17 as well. According to Musuko, at least_."

Auron shrugged. "_Okay, point taken_."

* * *

While they were in the prison, Auron hung around outside the mostly empty cells, looking a tad bit uneasy. He hated prisons, he hated how they made him feel. He was standing there alone, since Sora had gone off to pay the bail, which made him feel even more uneasy.

A man was staring out at Auron, from inside one of the nearby cells. His face partially hidden by the shadows . His glowing eyes narrowed upon the 15 year old Auron.

Auron tensed up as he watched the man in the shadows. The man began muttering in a foreign language like he was cursing Auron out, or something.

Suddenly, Sora came into the room. "_Mizu! Don't you dare think about it_!" She said glaring at the man in the cell.

He sat up immediately and his entire face fell into shadow. "_Sorry Sora_." He stated opening his eyes, making them glow through the darkness. He then moved toward the bars of the cell, revealing his face to Auron.

"_Mizu, the guard is going to be down here in a few minutes. I finally got your bail paid. I would have been here sooner, but this kid slowed me up_." Sora said pointing toward Auron and smiling a bit.

Mizu looked at Auron then to Sora. "_Who is he_?" He asked looking at Auron once more. "_One of them_?"

Sora looked over at Auron. _"Yes, he is a warrior monk Mizu. But Auron is different. He's not like them. Why they were beating him to death when I found him. Only for not doing what the other's said!" _She said.

Mizu looked skeptical still. "_What makes you so sure we can trust him? It's his kind that got me locked up in here in the first place, incase you forgot Sora. Sure, one beating may make him seem trustworthy, but what's to say he isn't like them other than that_?" He asked crossing his arms.

Sora turned to Auron, a smile on her face. "_You'll have to excuse Mizu. He isn't very trusting of the Warrior Monks. It's just worse now since they put him in prison for almost no reason. Probably on the count he looks Al Bhed_." She said explaining to him about Mizu's behavior in a whisper.

* * *

She then turned back around to Mizu. "_Because he's Musuko's grandson that's why!! He's one of our kind..and I trust him_." She said in a semi-loud whisper.

Mizu shot a look to Auron. He had an eyebrow raised. "_You are sure he is Musuko's grandson_?" He whispered to Sora. She nodded, and then glanced over her shoulder to Auron briefly.

"_I checked...everything fits. He admits his grandfather's name is Musuko. The sword he is carrying is named Masamune, and looks how Musuko described it. He is the same age that Musuko said his grandson would be_."Sora whispered back.

Mizu glanced toward Auron for a minute. _"..and his dominating power_?" He whispered.

Sora nodded slightly. "_Yes. I checked. It definitely is The Dark. Just as Musuko said it would be_." She whispered casting constant glances to Auron.

"_Hmph. Doesn't look like someone who's be able to handle the powers of The Dark. Give him an opportunity to use its power and his heart, soul, and body will be eaten alive. The Dark's power will simply consume him and crush him. It's too much for him to handle_."Mizu whispered shaking his head.

Sora crossed her arms. "_It appears that he is clueless upon how to use his power. He never used his power once to defend himself while being beaten. So, it appears that Musuko was right about that too_." She whispered back.

There was a silence between Mizu and Sora for several minutes. "_Hmrm. Fine. If you say so. Then I guess I will trust you that he is Musuko's grandson_." He whispered.

Turning to Auron, Sora gave a small smile. "_Well, Mizu. You are going to have to get used to him. I've already invited him to stay with us. Provided that he takes care of himself. I only did it because the poor guy was living out on the streets_." Sora said glancing over at Mizu, once the guard had come and let him out of the cell.

* * *

Rikku took a deep breath as her mind came back to the present.

How long had she been in the shower? How much time had passed. She wondered as she turned off the shower water and stepped out wrapping a towel around herself.

How much time had passed didn't really matter did it?

As Rikku dried and brushed her hair she glanced around the room remembering her recent flashback.

Mizu didn't trust Auron from the first meeting. If only Mizu had known what Auron was going to do five years later! He would have never trusted Auron. If Sora had known what he was going to do, she would have left Auron there!

No Rikku, don't say things like that! It's not right to so mean to Auron and will such a fate upon him as death. He doesn't deserve it. Besides, he already knows what it's like to be dead. You'd just be willing him back to the Farplane where he was for the last 4 years! Rikku thought shaking her head.

No, I suppose it wouldn't be good to will death upon Auron, Rikku thought as she slipped into her pajamas after drying her hair.

"But he makes me so mad sometimes! She whispered into the empty room. She walked over to the bed and sat down. She rested her elbows on her knees and ran her fingers through her hair for a moment. She closed her eyes and listened to the storm for awhile.

"Ever since I found out the truth, everything is just going to hell. Dad's not my real dad. Brother isn't my brother. The guy that I loved, he's a murderer. It just sucks!"

When it came down to it, Rikku realized, she was alone again. More alone that she had been days prior to her birthday. First she had gone from being the only single person among her friends, to literally having no one that she could turn to for comfort. No one in her life who would know how she felt.

Totally alone.

* * *

Rikku shook her head and shivered as thunder crashed. She got up and walked out into the hall. She could hear, and almost see Auron chatting with that man from earlier, even though she couldn't understand a word of what they were saying.

At least Auron was making friends. Rikku smirked a little bit, she could be mean and ruin this attempt at Auron making friends, by running in there and telling the guy that Auron was talking to, of how Auron had murdered a woman, an innocent woman with a child, nineteen years ago, and then start spilling all of Auron's secrets that she knew.

As she put her hand on the door handle leading into ht room where the kid they had rescued was sleeping, she shook her head. She could do that, but why bother? It would be useless. It wasn't going to make anything better. IT wasn't going to bring her and Auron any closer, they were already too far apart.

"No, for now I'll just go check on that kid. No use getting driven further away from Auron. If that is even possible."

As Rikku entered the room she found herself in a dim-lit room. Incense was burning and it's smoke was drifting around the room. She could see the child's brown hair poking up out of the blanket on one of the beds.

* * *

"You know, maybe it's you who is the one pushing others away. Isolating yourself." A voice stated from the corner of the room.

Rikku turned she came face to face with a lady wearing black robes. Her golden hair shone in the dim-light.

Rikku crossed her arms. "Whatever." She muttered under her breath.

"What are you doing in here?" The woman asked. She took a few steps toward Rikku, who began to back up.

"Well, I was just...umm...I was wondering about him, Darren, you know." Rikku said stuttering. Was it just her or was this lady rather intimidating?

The woman nodded. She walked over to Darren's bedside and ran her hand over his brown hair. She stared down at the kid's sleeping face. She then looked back up to Rikku.

"Darren is fine. He never has had to put out so much energy, so stay connected to the power source for that long of time. He just wore himself out. He should be okay. Although, he'll be resting for quite a while." She said with a kind smile.

In this light, with that smile, the woman appeared vaguely familiar.

"So, what's all this incense smoke for?" Rikku asked looking around and taking more notice of the smoke.

"An old Shinda sleeping ritual. People light incense in the rooms of children. The smoke is supposed to reveal invisible demons that may be floating around the room, seeking to harm the child. Since the demons don't want to be seen, they stay away. The scent also helps the child sleep."The woman said with a smile.

Must be why I'm so screwed up..too many demons attacked me while I was sleeping. Rikku thought.

The woman walked toward Rikku, a smile was upon her face still. "You'll have to forgive me about before. Sometimes I say things off the top of my head when people are around." She said.

Rikku crossed her arms and looked over, sighing. "It's alright."

The woman smiled and then sat down in a chair beside Darren.

"So, why was he out there by himself?" Rikku asked.

* * *

The woman crossed her arms. "Well, my husband and I, we were traveling together with Darren, you know like all Shinda do. When we got here, we were caught out in the storm. We ran into a traveler going in the opposite way. I think the guy was a short skinny man. All hunched over sort of. He had pointy ears and really odd looking eyes and had face-paint all over his face. Basically he looked and dressed like a clown, although, a tad bit more grotesque." She said closing her eyes and sighing.

"He talked in such a hyper-like voice. Often repeating himself. He stopped us and kept muttering under his breath. We were about to pass him by when he grabbed hold of Darren and started to run away, saying that 'Big Bro, Big Sis and Boss'll be happy' just as he started to get away, the storm became worse. He's doing I suppose."

"Me and my husband had no choice but to seek shelter. We couldn't go after Darren, when we could barely see where he had gone. We'd be lost in the storm ourselves."

"My husband suggested we wait and go look for him later. Darren was strong enough to get away from that guy. I objected since I knew that if evil got a hold of Darren and were about to use him to carry out whatever plan it was that it needed Darren for, it would be horrible. However, in the end I suppose that Darren slipped out of the hands of that clown and ran, he must have gotten lost in the storm and used his power to take shelter, and call for help." She said folding her hands together and looking over at Darren.

She watched his chest gently rise and fall as he breathed in and out in his slumber for a few minutes. She then looked back at Rikku.

"How he reached you I do not know."

Rikku shrugged and sat down. "I wonder what sort of evil would need a kid to help carry out it's plans?" She asked.

* * *

The woman frowned. "Well, Darren isn't just _any _child of the Shinda. He is one of the Four Legendary Keepers." She said brushing Darren's hair back to reveal the symbols upon his forehead.

"Keepers?"

The woman nodded.

"Keepers are Shinda who are given the responsibility of maintaing the source of power. There are four separate powers, that help maintain order and peace our world, and in the world that the power source is in, The Farplane."

"The Powers choose the Keepers at his or her birth. When the Keeper finally is able to use his or her power, they then have a tie to the power that they are the Keeper of. That Power gives them strength and power a bit different from ordinary Shinda. The Power they keep is their guardian, as they are its." She said.

"There are Four Legendary Keepers. The Keeper of The Strength, Keeper of The Mystic, Keeper of The Light, and the Keeper of The Dark. They protect and maintain the four Legendary elements that give a Shinda power."

The woman looked down and Darren and smiled. "Darren here is the Keeper of The Mystic." She stated cheerfully.

Rikku put her hand on her wrist. A chill ran up her spine and caused her to involuntarily shiver.

"Someday. I would like to meet the other Keepers." Sora said wistfully.

* * *

She then smiled. "You know, you and that man you came here with, Auron, you two seem to have a reason for traveling. What are you traveling for?" She asked.

Rikku crossed her arms and walked a little ways away from the woman. "Uh. Yeah. We we're trying to learn more about the Shinda."She muttered unhappily.

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Rikku nodded. "You see I found out that I was adopted and had been living with the Al Bhed almost my whole life, like a few days ago, my birthday. Well I didn't know much about the Shinda, neither did Auron, or so he said. So I suggested we go on a journey to find out more about the Shinda. I felt it would be kind of like what happened, during the pilgrimage we took four years ago. We learned a lot about each other and Yevon and Sin, so I felt that it would work o the same effect." Rikku stated. She sounded cheerful until the end, when she trailed off and started frowning.

"But now you're having doubts of whether it was the right thing to do?" The woman asked.

Rikku nodded.

"Yeah. It was going good until we hit the moonflow. Sure we hadn't found out anything yet and had already had a run in with a creepy man, but things were going well. Then Auron decided to drop this major bomb on me by telling me he was the one who killed my mother and had caused me to end up living with the Al Bhed." She explained.

The woman nodded. "He feels tortured by it, I bet. Just looking at you a living memory of your mother, his wife..."

Rikku had to cut in there. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hold up there! No, nonononono! Auron is not my father. He was never married to my mother! My father's name is Mizu! Auron was just a friend to my mother and father!!" She said running words together and almost shouting.

The woman smiled and bowed her head apologetically. "I'm sorry. I only assumed. I got the feeling that Auron was older than he appeared, like 39 at the most. I just assumed you were traveling with your father." She said. " I didn't know. I just assumed that he was old enough to be your father."

Rikku crossed her arms and glanced over. "That's what Yunie said when I told her how I felt about Auron." She muttered under her breath.

* * *

The woman stood up. "So, you are in love with him?" She asked.

Rikku stood up and rubbed her neck. "To be honest. I don't know. I mean sure I love Auron, I always have since four years ago, missed the hell out of him when he went to the Farplane. But a part of me just can't love him the way I did before, not after what I found out about what he did to my mother." She said.

The woman crossed her arms. "Well, when it might matter most, you'll se that one side of your heart will win over the other and you'll see how you truly feel about Auron for sure." She said.

Rikku just shrugged. There really was nothing for her to say about it.

"Say, did you say your father's name was Mizu?" The woman asked.

Rikku nodded.

"That's odd because my _husband_'s name is Mizu as well. I'm sure it's a coincidence, since Mizu and I's daughter drowned, so says Mizu." The woman said.

Rikku's eyes widened a bit.

"Oh! I've never introduced myself to you. How rude of me! My name is Sora." The woman said with a smile.

Rikku was barely able to contain her shock over this as she introduced herself to Sora.

At first, Rikku was a bit taken aback by this. The woman's name was Sora, she looked Al Bhed, she was a Shinda, her husband's name was Mizu, they had a daughter that supposedly drowned.

It might be. It just might be that Sora was still alive, or back from the Farplane, or something. Rikku thought as he heart began fluttering a little bit as if it had sprouted wings and was trying to fly away. The feeling didn't last long when another possibility came to her, it sunk back down lower than before. The heavy weight of possibility and depression weighing it down.

What if Sora isn't the same woman, and her husband not the same guy that I"m thinking they are? Worse, what if this Sora is just a collection of the memories that I have and I"m just stressed out enough that I'm just starting to see things and Sora isn't really here and the guy in the lobby is just some other guy?

* * *

"You're panicking over nothing." Sora stated gently as she walked over toward the other side of the room.

Rikku turned. "You might be right Sora. Maybe it is nothing." She stated.

Sora smiled. "Hey, Rikku. Do you want to see a picture of my daughter?" She asked out of the blue.

Well, a picture...might clear things up. So why not? Rikku thought as she nodded.

Sora walked over to her belongings and withdrew a small photo-album. She quickly flipped through the pages until she found the picture she was looking for.

"Ah. There she is. I don't remember who took some of these pictures, though."She said looking at the pictures.

Rikku nearly gasped.

In one of the pictures, Sora and Mizu were in the picture. Sora's head on Mizu's shoulder. Mizu was holding a baby in his arms, while smiling at the camera. The baby was a tiny baby dressed in a little pink skirt and a flowery shirt, with short blonde hair put up in a cute set of pigtails.

The baby looked very much like Rikku did in her baby pictures that Cid had taken. The baby had to have been Rikku!

She looked at another picture on the page. This one of a guy wearing a black-shirt and a pair of black pants. He was sitting on a couch, looking down at the ground. A frown was on his face, and he had the remnant of tears on his face. He looked so sad. Next to him on the couch was the baby Rikku. She was wearing a cute little green dress over her diapers, her hair still up in the pigtails. She was using the guy's arm as a balance to stand up on her small feet. One hand was clutching the guy's arm, while the other one was tugging on the fabric of the guy's shirt. She wore a cute but sorta sad expression on her face as if to say to the man, "Don't cry."

* * *

"Cute hm? I don't know who that man is or why he's so sad.. Mizu said he was a friend. Our daughter apparently liked him a lot, so says Mizu. He said that if that man was around, and in the same room with her, she'd start sniffling and tearing up, until he'd come over and cheer her up. If he was feeling down, she always knew, and would try to cheer him up. She hated seeing him sad." Sora said with a small smile

Rikku couldn't hardly breathe. There was a huge lump in her throat. She wanted to cry, but couldn't.

Maybe that's why she had felt so close to Auron on the pilgrimage. She had been close to him her whole life, he practically was the first friend that she ever had. She guessed that during her time with the Al Bhed, she had forgotten about him, and during the pilgrimage a vague memory of her childhood had resurfaced, and caused her to feel like she did about Auron.

" All the pictures we have of her were taken in the months between her birth and before she drowned." Sora's voice said. A frown was on her face.

Rikku's heart was back to fluttering gain. She was sure of one thing now. This woman was Sora. THE Sora that was Rikku's biological mother. Which meant Mizu, the man in the travel agency shop talking with Auron, was her father. Her family was alive, and she was with them!

At the same time her heart was fluttering with joy, there was a sinking feeling in her gut. Something was wrong with this whole thing. Although, she couldn't place her finger on it.

Also, there was that nagging regret that had settled in. She had yelled and led Auron to believe she hated him. Now she was going to have to face him and apologize for all that she had said a did. If Sora was here, then Auron would have to be forgiven for what Rikku had said about him taking her mother away from her. Then she would have to apologize for everything else.

She didn't want to do that, apologize and all, not right now. Auron would still be mad at her for her reaction. He wouldn't believe her apology. He probably didn't even know who these people were. Why accept an apology so suddenly, over mysterious matters? The time wasn't right.

Sora was smiling at her again. "Would you like to meet my husband? He's is up at the shop speaking with your friend." She said softly, gently getting to her feet. She gracefully walked toward the door.

Rikku followed, although less gracefully. She was too full of excitement and worry to force herself to walk straight, or even with out slight hesitation every-step. How should I tell them, I'm their daughter? When? How would Auron react to my apologies? How would he react to finding out these people here are my parents? Rikku kept asking herself as she walked across the room.

* * *

(_That's chapter 10. Well, what did you think? I hope you liked it, and if you didn't well then that's okay with me too. Well, hope to see you next chapter.) _


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Final fantasy X

**Chapter 11:**

The darkness was splotched with the dim glow of pyreflies as they danced around.

The room, from what one could see in the light, was made of some sort of marble. It was empty except for a throne at one end of the room, where the shadows were the thickest.

Guarding this throne was a row of statues, ranging from vicious and grotesque, to beautiful yet ominous. Their marble eyes, carved to be so life-like, gave the constant feel that they were watching your every move. Their bodies, though stiff and unmoving seemed to be lurking with dormant life. One wrong move and they would spring to life.

The throne that they guarded was adorned with a carving of a opal-colored dragon. The dragon statue appeared to be curled around the throne, as if protecting the person who sat in it.

In this seat, a shadowy figure lay. It was slumped over one of the arms, curled up, as if resting. The being's head rested on one of the dragon statue's claws. Icy blue eyes glowed in the darkness, staring at the entrance to the room.

A woman dressed in Warrior's armor, carrying a bladed hoop on her shoulder was approaching the shadow. Following her was a small man, looking very much like a clown. Behind him, a large beastly man with a large Ax slung over his shoulder.

The trio came to a halt right in front of the shadows and lined up side-by-side.

* * *

"Speak." A cold voice said slicing through the silent air. The entire room seemed to shake as if it feared this voice.

The trio was silent however, as they tried to put their report into words.

The voice, did not like their hesitation. "Elleon! Reis! Sasayuki! I said speak! What have you to report?! If nothing then be gone with you!" it roared.

Elleon, the woman, glared briefly, then saluted at the same time the others did. "Sasayuki failed at his attempt to capture the mystic keeper." She stated.

"The boy's power stopped me. Slipped right out of my hands he did, yup, slipped right out of my grasp. Probably lost out on the Thunderplains in that storm I created." Sasayuki, the smaller man, said. "Big Bro could've done handled that little boy, he could've, but he just slipped through my fingers"

Elleon frowned and then crossed her arms. "Anyways. Reis's attempt to capture 'the princess' failed as well." She said. She then glanced to the larger man.

"The Dark interfered before I could get her far enough away." He growled.

"So, to say the least, we failed to capture the targets." Elleon continued.

Silence settled in as the last of Elleon's words echoed through the room.

"You came to report a failure?! Idiots! You make me waste the precious strength to tell me you couldn't capture a little child and a girl?! Leave! Be gone with you! Don't back until you have the Dark, the Princess, and The mystic keeper. Understand?!" The voice shouted angrily.

Elleon gave a light sigh and opened her mouth in protest.

"I assumed your lordship would—"she began.

"Do you understand?!!" The voice roared back in anger.

At this Elleon gave a light growl and bit her lip. She was trying to keep herself from getting angry and just bursting out shouting. She snapped off a salute and then said in the most crisp and cut voice she could manage "Yes your lordship. I understand." She said before turning and marching out of the room.

Reis and Sasayuki followed.

* * *

"I give up! What does that man want?! He gets mad if we don't report regularly, but he only wants our reports to be good!" Elleon shouted into the open air, once the three of them had left.

"Ellee the boss is just tired. You know he doesn't have his former energy. He's getting weaker by the day. It drains him to talk, or to be awake for very long. " Reis said putting one of his giant hands on Elleon's shoulder.

Elleon frowned. "You may be right Reis." She muttered.

Sasayuki jumped up and began nodding vigorously and rocking back and forth.

"We need to get those three, so that Boss can become strong again. Just those three, and our boss will be stronger than ever before! What a great day that will be!" He said cheerfully wring his hands together smiling evilly.

Elleon looked down at Sasayuki. She frowned.

_You would rather it be that way? Our boss becomes stronger and obtains great power to where he could destroy entire races? To where he could revive Sin? _She thought shaking her head.

_You don't remember what it was like when Sin was around? Are you sure you want that life again?_

Feeling a squeeze on her shoulder Elleon looked up. Reis was looking sternly down at her, as if he were reading her thoughts.

"Sasayuki has played that lie, that he wants Spira to be like it was back then, so much for the boss that he's starting to believe his own lie." Reis's eyes seemed to say for him.

Deep down in that expression Elleon could see what Reis was really thinking.

_I would rather that none of this was happening. If the boss does gain power, then he will create Sin anew. When that happens, life will be like it was four years ago. Everyday the threat of death lingering everywhere, and we can't do anything about it!_

_The Fayth are gone! The Final Summoning: dead._

Elleon looked over and gave a small smile. At least she knew that Reis felt like she did about all of this, even if he didn't just come out and say it.

"We're going to need a new plan." She stated suddenly.

The other two looked at her for a moment and then gathered around her as she began to come up with a plan that might be worth using.

Even as she spoke, she ran her fingers over the edge of her ring-blade. _Even if this plan doesn't work _She thought, _eventually the Mystic will fall into our hands again. With the Mystic, it's only a matter of time before the other two fall in to our hands._

_When that time comes, the nightmare will begin._

_

* * *

_

_(Okay, Sorry that this took so long! I know it's not really any good. I've been in total writers block, and it sucks! Aside from that I've been busy with school, and other fanfictions and original fictions, and I've been too lazy to finish writing up this chapter. But it's up now, and there should be another chapter coming along sooner or later. Well, tell me what you think!)_


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Final fantasy X

**Chapter 12:**

It had been quiet between Auron and Mizu for the last few minutes. Neither of them spoke, until Sora and Rikku walked out there.

"So, you and her have met?" Mizu asked with a smirk and a side-glance to Auron.

Sora nodded. "She's a really nice girl. You're lucky to be travelling with someone like her, Auron." She said glancing at Mizu and then looking at Auron. Her Green eyes shining childishly.

Auron glanced at Rikku, but could barely say anything. He didn't want to risk her getting mad if he said anything. She could take things the wrong way.

"I guess so." he muttered.

Rikku put her hands on her hips. "Auron. We need to talk." She said looking at him.

_Uh-oh. _Auron thought, _I'm in trouble. I've already done something to get her mad at me again._ He got up and followed Rikku outside of the travel agency.

Once outside, Rikku turned towards Auron. Tears were in her eyes.

_Is she upset? _Auron asked himself as he looked at the young Al Bhed before him.

_No...Those aren't tears of sadness, at least, they don't look like them...she's happy?_

* * *

"Did I miss something?" Auron caught himself asking.

Rikku nodded. "Yeah did you ever! You won't believe what I just found out! That guy you were talking to...That's my Father!!! That woman is my mother!!" She said super-cheerfully.

Of course, the news failed to draw a suprised reaction from Auron, becaues he already knew.

"Wait. You're telling me that you already knew?! Auron! Why didn't you tell me?!" Rikku began shouting when she saw the absence of suprise in her fellow guardian's eye.

Auron smirked. "..and have to walk in on you in the shower? What kind of man do you think I am, walking in on a woman while she's nude? I have more respect for people's privacy than that Rikku." He said.

"Besides, I just had to see the look on your face, when you found out that I already knew." He added.

Rikku frowned. "Auron, Stop it. It's not funny, the way that you're acting." she whispered.

Auron looked over. She was right, he was not acting how she knew he acted. He didn't really he was acting so different.

"Also, Mizu knows who you are, Sora on the other hand, can't remember anything."

"As far as she knows, you're some stranger to her. Her daughter is dead." Auron stated looking out at the Thunder Plains as lightening struck nearby.

"Well, I can see why, she hasn't seen me in 19 years." Rikku stated with a smile.

Auron crossed his arms. "Understandable, but it doesn't explain why she didn't recognize Mizu." he said

Rikku scratched her chin. "Okay, you've got be there. Mizu hasn't really changed much since then.." She muttered.

* * *

"What do you mean _since then_ Rikku?"

Closing her eyes, Rikku looked down. Her face was turning a little pink. She was silent for several moments. How was she suppossed to tell Auron what she ment? he'd assume she was totally insane

A few moments later, Rikku finally opened her eyes and spoke. "You know back at the Moonflow, this morning, when you said that I was acting odd, saying odd things? Well, I was having this dream, well memory...now that I know who that woman was. I've had several memories like that lately, you know, prior to the 13th. " She began falling silent for a few minutes to check and see if Auron was getting what she was saying.

"Some times I'd dream about that day my mother was shot..you know. Other times, I'd dream about my mother stummbling through the Sanubia Desert at night, coming across Home, Speaking to Cid and then dieing, Memories of the night I was adopted by Cid."

"I had one day dream about you talking to my mother sometime after I was born. That was when you told me that you were the one who killed my mother."

"Sometimes, the dreams/memories just occur, other times things in my surroundings trigger them. Like earlier. I was taking a shower and the steam made me start having one of those memories."

"Although, I don't get it. That memory was...different." She said uncertainly.

Auron raised an eyebrow. The whole situation was a bit suprising enough, but to hear Rikku's concern about a recent day dream, it made him worry a little bit.

"Tell me."

* * *

"Well, Sora was 17 for starters. So I hadn't even been born, so how could I have a memory from before I was born?" Rikku asked. Concern filling her voice.

Auron crossed his arms. Rikku was glad that it seemed like he was believing her. After all that's one of the things that Rikku liked about the older former guardian. No matter how crazy the situation seemed that someone was telling him about, he never doubted their truthfulness.

Maybe that was because he had been through several crazy events in his live that he knew that crazy things could happen, to other people.

"You see, Sora was walking though Bevelle, when she saw this guy getting the living daylights beat out of him. She used her power to save him. Turns out the guy had been drunk or something. Sora started to recognize him as some guy's, Musuko's, grandson. She then led him toward the prison where Mizu was. That's when I saw Mizu." She finished, rubbing her neck, her face turning pink.

Auron turned and looked out at the storm. He watched the lighting strike some of the towers out on the Plains. _Oh, it was That memory..._he thought as he shook his head. The one memory, aside from killing Sora, that he wished he would forget.

"That was when Sora and I first met. I was only 15. She saved my life and all I could do was insult her, by calling her a harlot, among other things.."He muttered darkly.

"Yeah, but at least you did say thank you, and besides, You didn't say those things on purpose! You were drunk, those warrior monk guys you were working with got you drunk! Besides you know she wasn't too offened since she did take you in..." Rikku said puttiner her hands on her hips .

Auron frowed and shook his head. "It doesn't make a difference if I was sober or drunk. Sora only took me in and saved my life, because of Musuko." He said, hanging his head.

* * *

"Sora took you in because she wanted to. You had no where to go, and she wasn't about to let a man who had just survived a brutal attack to lose his life to the winter snows of Bevelle. It wouldn't have made a difference if you were Musuko's grandson or not, Sora would have still taken you in if you had needed the help." A voice said from the doorway.

Turning around, Auron and Rikku saw Mizu standing there. He was leaning against the door frame as if he had been listening to most of the conversation.

"Auron. You haven't changed. You are still upset over that? Still believing that Sora only took you in because of who you are?" Mizu asked with a small smirk. His eyes however said that it was time to move past all of that.

"Although if you want to keep believing that, I'm not going to stop you. Sora isn't going to say different, seeing that she can't remember ever taking you in, or even that you're Musuko's grandson." Mizu said shugging as he approached them.

He looked over at Rikku. No one said anything for a long time. Mizu's kind Al Bhed-like eyes were evaluating Rikku while she was looking at him. Rikku's eyes were holding back tears and emotions. Her heart was fluttering with excitement.

Mizu then looked at Auron, a smile on his face. He ran his fingers though his blond hair. "So, she knows now doesn't she?" He asked glancing toward Rikku.

Auron nodded, he then turned to Rikku. "Rikku, I'd like to introduce you to your biological father, Mizu." he said with a small smile as he glanced over at Mizu.

Turning toward Mizu, Auron spoke again. "Mizu, I'd like for you to meet your daughter, Rikku."

Bowing his head, Mizu stepped toward Rikku. He was fummbling with his words, unsure of how to speak to his daughter.

Rikku on the other hand, couldn't hold back her emotions much longer. She flung her arms around Mizu and let the tears come from her eyes, she began crying into Mizu's chest. All the while, Mizu embraced her and looked down at her kindly.

Auron decided to leave the two of them alone._ Let them share this father-daughter reuniting moment without someone watching_. He entered the travel agenc gving a short glance over his shoulder to Mizu and Rikku.

_

* * *

_

_Ring! Ring! Rrrrrring!_

Auron looked around for the source of the noise. He found the device that Paine and Gippal had given them before they left.

He hit the "talk" button.

"Hey, Baby..how ya doing?" A voice on the other end of the phone said.

Auron smirked and then shook his head. "Gippal. I'm not your 'Baby' so don't call me that." he said

There was a groan on the other side of the phone. "Oh, man, that was embarrassing. I was thinking maybe you know, you were Rikku. Dude it was just a joke anyhow." Gippal said.

Auron laughed.

"What do you want?" He asked after a minute.

"Just wanting to see how Rikku is doing. You guys haven't called in awhile. Yuna's getting worried. Paine's getting worried. Catherine and Alice are getting worried. Cid's worried as Well. Figured that something's happened to you guys." Gippal said.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Some stuff has been happening. Rikku's probably still made at me and all,that she's hardly thought about calling." Auron said glancing out the travel agency door.

"So, where's Rikku right now?" Gippal asked after a second.

"You're probably not going to believe this, but then again maybe you will, Rikku is outside here on the Thunderplains, talking with her biological father."

"Seriously" Gippal asked.

"Yeah."

Gippal gave a gloomy sigh on his end on the phone. "So, I guess it's goodbye Rikku then." He said sounding a bit depressed and sighing into the phone again.

Auron was silent for a moment, trying to comprehend what Gippal was saying. He was right. Since Rikku now was reunited with her father and mother, there would be no point in continuing the journey together, since Rikku could learn all she needed to know about the Shinda from Mizu and Sora. Since Rikku had them, she wouldn't want to be around Auron or anyone from her old life. She had already isolated herself from them, eversince learning about being adopted.

He could leave now and go back to Luca, or Besaid. Rikku wouldn't want to travel with him. She hated him anyways.

Rikku reuniting with her real parents, really did mean goodbye for good.

"I guess you're right Gippal. I gues that means that I'll be heading back soon. I'll talk to Rikku about what she's wanting to do with her apartment first though." He said. He was doing his best he could to hide the depression that was beginning to settle over him.

"Yeah, well, It sucks. I'm gonna miss having her aroung. Maybe we'll see her again someday...you know. Anyhow, Tell Rikku that I called and tell here that we're all sort of worried about her, so if she wants call us and just say 'hi' you know."Gippal said, giving another sigh.

"See you later." he said hanging up.

* * *

"Yeah." Auron said putting the phone back up. He then looked back outside and then headed to the inn room. He sat down on the bed without turning on the lights. He unlatched the jug of alcohol from the belt at his hip and brought it to his lips.

He began to drink. Usually the alcohol tasted okay. Today, however, it tasted stale and bitter, but still he drank.

After about five minutes of drinking, Auron stopped. He closed his eyes and tried to clear all thought from his mind.

After a few moments, voices began to flood the room, all of them inside his head.

"Auron..it's been awhile." The voice of an old man said.

"Hello Grandfather. Sorry for not coming to talk to you in so long." Auron thought resting his elbows on his knees and putting his head in his head, leaning against the wall.

" I haven't see you this upset looking since your parents died. Something is troubling you isn't it little one?.. " Auron's granfather's voice asked him.

"Grandfather, I'm thirty-nine years old. I'm not five. Don't call me that.." Auron muttered half-embarrassed.

Musuko laughed. "Alright then, but it never bothered you when I said it before, nor does it bother you when your mother says it when you talk to her, young man!" he said.

Auron could just picture his grandfather standing there his face wrinkled up into a smile, his dark eyes gleaming cheerfully with laughter. It made him feel slightly comforted, but it also made him miss is grandfather a bit.

"You're still my son's only child, no matter what so you're young compared to me, you always will be so I've got the right to call you little one, but if you don't want me to..." Musuko said.

Auron sighed. "It' doesn't really matter."

"Now, what's ailing you Auron?" His grandfather's kind voice asked.

"A girl..."

"Oh?"

"Yeah.."

"So, what's the matter about this girl?" Musuko asked.

Auron was silent for several moments.

"Well?" Musuko asked.

"It's the same one I was telling you about, the Al Bhed that I was travelling on a pilgrimage to defeat Sin with, while I was on the Farplane."

* * *

"Ah, Rikku. The one who you say looks a bit like Sora.." Musuko said. Auron could almost see Musuko nodding understandably.

"Yeah, well, turns out she was Sora's daughter."

* * *

There was a silence. "I'm going to guess that this problem has to do with Sora, she's back in Spira you know."

"Yeah, we ran into her..and Mizu."

"You're afraid that she's going to go with them, and leave you?" Musuko asked

Auron nodded. It sounded like a stupid and immature thing to be afraid and worried about, when Musuko said it, but it was the truth.

"I really don't want this to be goodbye again..." Auron muttered under his breath.

Musuko made a sound as if he understood. "The first goodbye was difficult enough for the both of you, I'm guessing."

Again, Auron nodded.

"You remember when I crafted Masamune for you?" Musuko asked with a reminiscent tone in his voice.

Auron could almost feel the extra weight on the bed where Musuko would probably have sat down while talking.

"I told you that Masamune would be my final gift for you, that I would die soon after it was crafted." Musuko continued.

"...and you remember how you acted?"

Auron nodded. "I didn't want you to finish it. I didn't want you to make Masamune at all. I did everything I could to keep you from working on it."

"And why was that?" Musuko asked his voice taking on a tone that said to Auron that he knew why, but he wanted to hear it from directly from Auron.

Auron was quiet for several moment.

He knew why he didn't want his grandfather to finish making Masamune, Auron had just been a child, but had already lost both parents to Sin. His grandfather was the only family that he had left, he didn't want that taken away from him so early in life. Not when it had been a few years since the pain had gone away from losing his parents.

"I didn't want you to die. I didn't just want you to leave me like that. I didn't know what to do if you died. I thought that If I could keep you from finishing it, you wouldn't ever die." He said quietly.

"..and you remember what I told you everytime that you begged and pleaded, or did something to stop me from making that sword?" His grandfather asked kindly.

The former guardian could picture his grandfather looking down at him kindly as he spoke.

He nodded. "of course. You said, '_We've all got to say goodbye sometime. It's no use trying to prolong the inevitable. As long as you have a memory of the dead_..'But you never would finish your sentence. You just would shake your head and then go right back to working on Masamune."

It was silent for awhile.

* * *

"Exactly. now, think about it Auron. You knew that Rikku was wanting to talk to you hours before you were sent. Probably becasue she wanted to tell her that she loved you, or something like that."

"She knew that hours before you were sent that you were going to the Farplane. So perhaps, she believed that if you knew she loved you, that you wouldn't leave. Like you believed that if I finished Masamune, I would have died, so you tried to stop me from trying to finish, thinking that by doing this it would prolong my death. But I finshed Masamune anyways didn't I?"

"If Rikku had been able to say what she had wanted, would you have gone to the Farplane? If you had known she loved you?"

Auron shook his head. He really didn't know. Part of him was saying "yes I would have stayed if I had known" but part of him was saying "no, I couldn't stay. I had no futher purpose in Spira. I had done what I had become unsent for, I had fulfilled the promises I made. I couldn't stay. Even if I had, I was bound to got to the Farplane someday. I would have to say goodbye to Rikku someday."

"No. I don't think that It would have stopped me. It was my time to leave. If I had known I would still have gone, even if it ment breaking her heart knownly." he said.

"Exactly. Now that you've been given a second..err well third, chance at life. Would Rikku really want to let you go again? Would Rikku be willing to go through another goodbye?" Musuko asked gently.

"No, I don't think so.." Auron said shaking his head.

To be honest, Auron wasn't all too sure about that. Rikku knew that Auron had killed her real mother, and probably wouldn't want to be around with the person who had done something like that. He had to admit though, he was feeling a bit better.

Musuko laughed a bit. Auron felt a slight bit of pressure on his shoulder. He knew that his grandfather hand his hand on his shoulder, even though he couldn't see the elderly man there.

"Thanks grandfather." Auron said putting his hand on his shoulder, where Musuko's hand had been.

No reply came, Musuko's spirit had already left.

* * *

(_Oh my god..finally!! It literally has taken me the whole summer to put this chapter up. I've been too lazy to work on it, almost ended up re-writing the whole chapter, but decided against it. Plus ontop of that i've had other issues that have kept me too busy from working on this chapter.. (Readers: Excuses, Excuses!) Anyhow. there's the chapter. Not my best, but I'm working with writer's block...hate it.. anyhow, School starts again for me like August 20th, so I'll try to work on one or two more chapters and update as soon as possible before I have to leave my grandparent's house, and go back to school groan I really don't want to go back, but hey, it's gonna be my Senior year!! yay! Anyhow. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will review! Until next time!) _


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own Final fantasy X

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* * *

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Chapter 13:

"I'll remind myself to thank Cid for all that he's done for you, if I ever see him." Mizu said to Rikku as she finished telling him about the last few years.

Rikku nodded, and then crossed her arms. Just the mention of his name made Rikku miss her adopted father more than ever. It was probably because she had been raised by him and developed a father-daughter bond with Cid instead of Mizu that with him out of her life, it was hard to adjust.

She began missing everybody.

She missed Tidus's jokes and cheerfulness. She missed all the great times she had with Yuna and Paine. She missed Lulu's scolding and advice. She missed Wakka and Brother's crazy ways. She missed how Kimahri's presence always made her feel safe. She missed being picked on by Gippal.

Heck, she was even starting to miss all the talk between her friends about love and relationships, that she had hated a few days ago!

But, she couldn't just go back to them and act like everything was still the same between them all. She just couldn't.

_That's not your life Rikku! Not anymore, _she thought. She looked over out at the Thunderplains. _You can't go back, things aren't going to be the same._

"Something is bothering you." Mizu stated looking at Rikku's face.

Tears had begun to form on Rikku's eyelashes. She was wanting to cry, but couldn't do it, not infront of Mizu. She shook her head.

Mizu brushed away her tears and lifted her face up to his. "I might not have been the one to raise you, but I've experience in care-taking with Daren. So I know when somone is upset and isn't saying." He said gently.

Rikku looked away remaining silent.

"You are wanting to go back but are afraid to face your friends. Afraid that things won't be the same between you and them?" He said.

"You are pushing them from your life because things aren't the way they weren. You shouldn't worry about that you know.You should consider what you are going to be missing, by throwing them out of your life."

"Your adopted Cousin Yuna is going to be having a baby soon right? Her and your friend Tidus are expecting their first child? You're going to miss out on that. Seeing the joy it'll bring to them." He said.

Rikku turned.

"But I belong with You and Sora." She said looking up at Mizu.

Mizu looked out at the Thunderplains. "You may belong with us, but that doesn't mean you should just forget about your past and those in it." He said quietly.

Rikku looked down "Even If I wanted to forget the past, I couldn't."

"I know what you're going through." Mizu stated looking back at Rikku with a bright smile on his face.

With a raised eyebrow Rikku asked. "You do?"

Mizu nodded.

* * *

"When I was a little boy, probably about two or three, I was orphaned by Sin, like so many other children. This nice Al Bhed family found me and raised me for several years. I was probably thirteen when I learned about my origins."

He looked out over the plains. "I guess that, when I found out...I was confused. No, beyond confused. I had felt like I belonged with the Al Bhed, for as long as I could remember, and now...my parents are telling me...I'm not Al Bhed. I felt like I didn't belong anywhere. I isolated myself from everyone; my parents, my friends, everyone. I just didn't feel like they'd understand me. I just didn't feel that they'd see me as the same."

"...and so I began to travel around the world. Alone. That's the only thing I felt I could do. Maybe if I wondered around for awhile...I'd finally find where I belong."

Rikku looked up, her bright green eyes questioned. "...and did you?"

Mizu nodded and laughed. "Well, I married your mother didn't I?" He joked.

"...Although, during the time that I travelled with Sora, I came to realize, all that I was missing out on with my friends by being isolated. Sora finally convinced me to go back to my home village, and see those people again."

"...and?" Rikku asked curiously.

"When they asked why I had been gone so long, and hadn't talked to them...I explained everything to them. Oddly, they were very accepting of me. I was still the same person they knew. I came to realize that it doesn't matter if you learn of who you really belong with, who you are isn't going to change...and people are still going to see you as that person."

* * *

Mizu's words made her feel better. She smiled up at her father and gave him a hug.

Maybe Mizu was right, maybe her thinking that things couldn't be the same between her and everyone just because of her not being who they thought she was, was all coming from her uncomfortableness of being a Shinda.

Or maybe it was just fear.

"I'm suprised though." Mizu said changing the subject.

"How could an infant such as you were when Sora was killed have survived the trip from Bevelle to Bikanel?" He muttered.

Rikku looked up at Mizu. "Maybe Sora used her power to keep me alive." She said softly.

Mizu smiled. "That sounds like something Sora would do. "

"Now, if this man, named Cid, you say is the one who took care of you is the same man that I'm thinking he is..then I'll be rather suprised." He added with a laugh

"Why?"

"Remember when I said I was living with an Al Bhed family? Well they were friend with a couple that lived at the Al Bhed Home, they had a son, who was a bit older than me, named Cid."

"Of course when he turned 18, he joined the Al Bhed Army and went off to war, following his military aspirations. Well that was a year before I found out I was a Shinda."

Rikku looked surprised, so Mizu had known Cid.

What Irony it was for a friend of Mizu's to be taking care of his daughter for 19 years and not even know about it!

"So, how did you and Sora meet?" Rikku asked. She really wanted to know more about her family now.

Mizu smiled and laughed. "Perhaps it would be better to show you." he said.

* * *

He reached forweard and took hold of Rikku's wrist lightly and pressed his fingers to the symbols upon it. He closed his eyes.

Rikku could no longer see Mizu standing before her. All she could see was the snow covered moutains of Gagazet.

She looked over to see a fifteen year old Sora. She was standing at the foot of the path up the moutain.

"_Why not?! Why can't I climb the mountain_?!" Sora shouted at the Ronso that was twice her size standing in her path.

"_Sacred Grounds. Only Summoners may pass. You not Summoner_!" The Ronso said frowning down at her.

"_Sure! We let you go to our sacred grounds regardless of if you are a summoner or not. Hell, we even share the land outside out sacred grounds with others...but you can't return the kindness and limit us to the base of this mountain and anywhere south?_" She asked crossing her arms.

"_Yevon teachings say Zanarkand holy place. Only summoners. No Al Bhed, no human, no Guado, no Ronos, unless summoner_."

Sora stompped her foot and looked up at the top of the mountain.

_"The grounds are off limits, you understand_?" A voice said casually, as it's owner, ( a fifteen year old Mizu) ran his fingers through his shaggy blonde hair. "Come back later."

Sora glared at Mizu and then started to walk away.

"_I will see the sacred Ruins_." she muttered as she passed Mizu.

He followed her toward the Calm Lands. He had to take long slow strides in order to keep up with Sora's quick strides.

"_Zanarkand isn't the sacred ruins you are talking about is it_?" He asked after a few minutes of Sora ignoring him.

Sora stopped walking but was still fuming.

"_You're looking for Odin, You want to see if it exists. You want to see if the floating Ruins, the Sanctuarary, in the myths were true_." Mizu explained calmly.

Sora stopped in midstep, "_How did you know_?" she asked looking back at him.

Mizu had a smirk on his face and his arms crossed across his chest. "_Why would a regular ol' Al Bhed want to go see a rusted old piles of ruins and Pyreflies. Unless of course they were a Shinda_." He said.

"_Added to that why would you be needing to use that particular path to reach Zanarkand when it looks like you've got enough brains in that pretty head of yours and enough travelling experience to realize all you gotta do to get to Zanarkand is sail south of Besaid_." He said.

Sora crossed her amrs."_Now, I suppossed I could have done that, and went through the ruins and climbed Gagazet from Zanarkand and then looked for the Sancturary_." she said under he breath.

Mizu looked suprised sort of. "_Well then I'd never have gotten the chance to see such a beautiful girl like you! Now how fair is that?!"_ He asked.

Sora blushed and smiled at Mizu's comment.

"_Hey, you look like you need someone to travel with. A pretty like you'd get swallowed up by a fiend in no time_." Mizu said.

"_You're not much older than me."_ Sora stated putting her hands on her hips.

Mizu shrugged.

_"..And I don't supposse you've had much training either_." She added.

"_Okay, you've got me there. I can tell just by the look in your eyes that you've been training more than I have_." Mizu stated.

"_Well, I have spent the most of my life travelling and training with my parents_." Sora said with a smirk.

Mizu shrugged. "_Alrigh' Then...you caught me. You're right, I'm looking for someone to travel with_."

"_So how 'bout it?"_ He asked with a wink.

Sora put her hands behind her head and looked at Mizu with raised eyebrows as if evaluation him and thinking of a response to Mizu's question.

"_How do I know I can trust you?_" She asked, curiously, tilting her head to one side as she spoke.

Mizu imitated her, "_Well, you don't know that. Hell, I don't even know if I can trust you."_ He said.

He put his hands back down next to his side. "_But you're cute so I trust you_." He said with smirk.

Sora crossed her arms. "_It's not wise to trust by looks_," She said

Mizu took a few steps foreward. "_Well, maybe I can offer a deal_."

Sora raised an eyebrow.

"_You trust me and travel with me, and if you decide that you can't trust me that you can just leave and you just walk out my life._" Mizu said crossing his arms.

"_Fair deal_?"

Sora thought about it for a moment. She then nodded and stuck out her hand, "_Nice to meet you, my name is Sora_."

Mizu's eyes lit up as he took Sora's hand, he brought it to his lip and bowed.

"_ A beautiful name, so fitting for such a pretty woman. An honor to meet you Miss Sora. My name is Mizu_."

"_Please, just call me Sora_." Sora said as her voice faded off.

* * *

Rikku returned to the present.

"So, now you see." Mizu said with a sigh.

Rikku giggled a small bit and put her hands behind her back. "So I guess Sora trusted you more and more while you two travelled." She said lookin gup at Mizu.

Mizu nodded.

"It took a while of travelling for Sora to trust me. Even longer to admit she had feelings for me, and a sligh bit longer for us to start dating. In about two years, we were seventeen and newly-weds living in Bevelle." He said.

Rikku nodded. "And then Auron came to live with you guys, and then five years later I came." She said.

Mizu crossed his amrs and nodded. he put his hand on Rikku's head and ruffled her hair.

"So it took a lot of time, about seven years, before I ever met a girl who was just as cute as Sora was." He said with a wink.

Rikku smiled and adjusted Auron's coat on her shoulders. She smiled at Miizu and then headed back into the Travel agency. Her face a bright shade of pink.

As Mizu watched the door close he frowned and looked at the ground. "I just never expected something like this to happen." He thought as he foloowed Rikku into the agency.

* * *

He walked toward the room where he knew Auron was. He assumed Auron would be alone, since Rikkku had gone to check on Darren.

When he opened the door her found Auron sitting on the edge of the bed with his elbows resting against his knees and hsi head in his hands.

"Auron, sorry to barge in, but I need to speak to you."

Auron looked up with a raised eyebrow. He got to his feet and approached Mizu. "What?" He asked.

Mizu was hesitant. He really didn't know how to say what he had to say to Auron. It was hard to figure out where to begin.

He paced the room for several minutes before he finally spoke.

"A few minutes ago, Rikku asked about how me and Sora met." he began.

Auron nodded. "Right. Back when you were fifteen on Mount Gagazet."

Mizu nodded. "Rather than explaining it to Rikku, I showed her." He continued.

Raising an eyebrow Auron asked, "So? You showed her your memory."

Sighing Mizu sat down in a near-by chair. He was silent for several minutes.

At last he shook his head. "You know I had a theory, about what's wrong with Sora." He muttered softly.

Auron kept an eyebrow raised.

Mizu looked up. "Instead of showing Rikku my memory, I went through her memory. Showed her that." He said looking over and sighing. He hung his head.

"Turns out I was right..." He muttered shaking his head before resting it in his hands.

Auron wasn't quite understanding what Mizu was saying. What theory did Mizu have about Sora's behavior? What did Rikku have to do with it? What was all this about?

"Mizu, what are you trying to say?"

Mizu gave an agitated sigh and looked up at Auron.

"What I'm trying to say is, the reason that Sora doesn't remember anything about her past is because Rikku has her memory!"

* * *

_(finally, got this chapter finished, I never thought I was going finish this chapter. A bad case of writer's block you know. Anyhow, It's finishd, and I hope you liked it!)_


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X

(Author's note: Sorry for the long time of having not updated! I am really sorry about that.)

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**Chapter 14: "Memory"**

What exactly did Mizu mean by saying that Rikku had Sora's memory? Was it even possible for someone to be in possession of someone else's memory? If it was, how did Rikku end up with it?

These questions kept running through Auron's head as Mizu had spoken.

"What do you mean by 'memory'?"

"Spiritual energy to put it simply. The thing Pyreflies react to in the Farplane? Memory, that's what we call it...but no one knows for sure. Many Shinda have tried to do research it to pin down exactly what it is-all we know is what to do with it when we die." Mizu explained as he paced the room.

Auron was silent, knowing that Mizu was not done talking. If given the chance for Mizu to impart his knowledge and theories upon someone, then Mizu would gladly take the oppertunity, especially if he knew it would be to the benefit of that person.

"When we die, the belief is and always has been, that one final use of our power must be made. That last use is to transfer a peice of the soul-a peice of our spiritual energy if you will-into another living being. Whether it be an animal, plant, or another person, which it usually is and in those cases it usually is a relative, such as a child." Mizu continued.

He stopped walking for a few minutes and looked around, as if he were trying to recall more.

Auron looked down at his wrist. So, is that what his grandfather had done whenever he had died? When he had taken his wrist one last time, he had passed his spiritual energy onto Auron.

He guessed he could understand why it was done, it seemed to ensure a continuity of the Shinda's power in Spira. Though, the entire practice seemed to be dangerous.

Mizu turned almost as if he had read Auron's thoughts, and looked at the wall. "It hasn't proven to be dangerous yet, It is nothing more than power. It's up to the person whom that power was tranferred to, to determine how it should be used."

Standing up, Auron crossed his arms. Just because it was a tradition that had not been proven dangerous, didn't mean it wasn't, and it was going to take a whole hell of a lot of Mizu's knowledge of "memory" to convince Auron otherwise.

"Usually, Shinda don't return to Spira once they die, and so there is no need for the spiritual energy which was passed on, the soul can live in the Farplane, existing as the spirit of who they were before death since the person whom this energy is either a Shinda or become a Shinda because of that spiritual energy, and thus are tied to the Farplane's power, which allows the spirit of dead person to be whole while in the Farplane."

Mizu paced the room for a few seconds. "If the spirit of the dead person was to return to the Farplane-such as becoming unsent or whatnot, then that connection to the fraction of the spirit which they gave up upon their deaths will be severed..."

"You, of course Auron, didn't pass on your memory when you died, nor when you were sent almost ten years later...probably due to the fact you are clueless upon the actual use of your power..." Mizu continued receiving a slight grunt of annoyance from Auron upon Mizu's last words. "Thus, you died, was unsent, and went to the Farplane as a complete spirit, unlike Sora in her current predicament."

Mizu paused breifly looking at Auron as if the former guardian were suddenly a fascinating object.

"Although, I am curious as to why Sora would just come back like this, and you my friend, your return from the Farplane...as of recent is quiet mysterious in itself."

Auron's brow was furrowed in deep concentration as he tried thinking of a possible explanation.

Actually, that was a good question. Why had both he and Sora returned from the Farplane so suddenly, and with almost no cause?

For that matter, why had Braska and Jecht and their wives returned as well?

Mizu stopped and shook his head. "No, I doubt that is the reason...at least not for your return..." He stated aloud as he looked over at Auron.

Raising an eyebrow, Auron signaled to Mizu that he didn't quite understand what train of thought had led to Mizu saying what he did, and that he wished for him to explain.

"Well, you've heard of the Keepers before, right?" Mizu began in his explanation.

Auron nodded. Sure, he had heard of them before, but that didn't mean that he knew everything there was to know about them, or even why Mizu was mentioning them.

"The Keepers, sometimes can use their power to summon people from the Farplane. Daren is one of those Keepers, and I believe that he heard me saying a few years back about how I missed Sora. Using that he could have brought her back. But then that doesn't explain you...if you had no other reasons in Spira, as you say...then why are you back? Daren doesn't know you, so he couldn't have been responsible for your return. "

"Unless of course, one of the other three Keepers may have unknowingly created a lottery among the Farplane, in which a soul was picked at random to return...and you happened to have been selected..."Mizu added.

Standing up Auron crossed his arms. "Who ever brought me back from the Farplane, and for what reason, is not the issue here, Mizu. The real issue here is if there is anything that can be done to separate Rikku and Sora's memory." he stated.

Mizu nodded, "Unfortunately, as of right now, nothing can be done to separate Sora and Rikku's memory. Since Rikku was a baby when she received Sora's memory, there is no telling exactly how connected the two memories are, If we do mange to remove Rikku's memory from Sora's.. It might result in some undesirable consequences."

Auron signaled for Mizu to continue. He could handle hearing about these "undesirable" consequences. It wasn't like Mizu was saying that it was going to happen, what he would say would merely just be the possibilities of what might happen if they were able to accomplish such a task.

For a few seconds, Mizu was quiet. Even though he knew that his friend wanted him to continue, it was hard for him to do so. It might not have bothered Auron, but it really bothered him. After all, this was his wife and daughter that they were talking about right then, basically they were everything that he had in the world, and for anything to happen to them, would just crush him.

Taking a deep sigh, Mizu finally worked up the courage to explain the "undesirable" consequences to his old friend.

"Well, on one hand, Sora could get her memory back, but we risk losing Rikku's memory. If there is the possibility that Rikku's 'memory' is nothing more than an extension of Sora's. Then we risk Rikku's memory resetting itself to remembering as much as she did before she received Sora's memory..."

Auron crossed his arms and frowned. and if that happened, Rikku wouldn't be herself. She wouldn't remember Yuna, Tidus, Lulu, or any of the others. She wouldn't remember him, or the pilgrimage. She would barely remember Mizu...

What was so bad about that? Rikku already acted as if she wanted to sever all ties with her fellow guardians, and her adopted family. Her memory being reset would be exactly what it would take for her to forget them; it would be as if she had never met them.

But on the other hand, it wouldn't be best for Yuna and the others. Rikku was a dear friend to them after all, and he was sure that if they had been forgotten by Rikku, they would be pretty hurt.

Especially Cid, since for the last 19 years, he had pretty much raised Rikku as one of his own children, and even though he never really expressed it to either one of his children, he really cared about them. Rikku may not have been Cid's daughter; But Auron knew that to Cid, Rikku was still like a daughter to him.

With a sigh, Mizu turned and shook his head, as he decided to leave the rest of his theory on the consequences unsaid. It was hard enough on him to think about the first possible consequence...but the others-they were just unbearable.

A smile came across his face temporarily,

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that you and Rikku ran into us. Originally, Daren, Sora and I were heading north, where the Shinda City is located. We were thinking of paying a visit to the city, since it has been such a long time since we have been there...Last time I was there, Daren and I were helping out with rebuilding the city after the Calm started. Plus, I was hoping to get information from the Grand-Seer of the Mystics, Sage, about what was wrong with Sora. Although now that I know what is wrong with her...you can see that my questions to her will probably be changed to reflect the current situation."

Apparently, the Shinda, despite being a nomadic tribe of people, had built a civilization up on this island, and even established a great city, in which the members of every tribe of the Shinda could gather, and live, and study the different arts the Shinda practiced.

From what he knew of the city, most of the major leaders of the Shinda tribe resided there, ruling over all Shinda from this island, though Auron himself had never been there.

"You and Rikku are welcome to come with us, Daren and I figure that since Sin is gone taking a boat from the Calm-lands wouldn't be such a bad idea, it would make an easier trip." Mizu stated as he looked towards Auron.

Auron shrugged as he turned towards the door. Really, Mizu should be discussing future travelling plans with Rikku. Since she was his daughter after all..

"I believe the decision to travel with you, is not up to me to decide. I believe it is your daughter who decides where we are to go, and who we are to go there with." He stated, not even looking over his shoulder at Mizu.

With a knowing smile, Mizu nodded.

"Of course."

Auron left the room to go and speak with Rikku.

* * *

When he had entered the room where Sora and Rikku were, he found the two of them happily chatting away.

It was odd seeing the two of them in the room together like this, chatting. Even in the short time which they had known each other, Rikku and Sora appeared to have a mother-daughter bond strong enough to make anyone believe the two had been together for years.

Auron had often pictured this sort of scene whenever he began to think on his mistakes and how different life would have been if he had not committed such a crime.

Rikku and Sora sitting across the table from one another, laughing.

Happy.

Even though the thought that there was no hope in fixing Sora and Rikku's "problem" as of now, and the possible out-comes if it all could be fixed bothered and upset Auron to no end, he felt strangely at peace watching this scene right now.

This had been what things should have been like for Rikku.

He was glad that she was able to experience something which one bullet had denied her.

Though Sora was probably unaware of her relation to the young girl across the table from her.

It took a few minutes for Rikku to take note of the former guardian's presence in the room, looking over her shoulder at him; she took note of the faint smile on his face as he stood in the doorway.

What-what's he smiling about? Does he want to talk about something?

She excused herself from the conversation she had been having with Sora, and got up and walked over towards Auron, following him away from Sora.

"What's with the smile?" She asked curiously as she looked at the older guardian.

Auron crossed his arms, pulling his face back into its usual stoic frown.

Was the peace he had felt really that great that he couldn't help but smile?

Finally Auron found the words in which to start this conversation.

"Mizu has said that if you would like to, we are welcome to travel with him, Sora, and Daren."

Rikku smiled. It was obvious that she was more than excited, and would have loved nothing more than to be able to spend more time with her parents. Auron already knew that Rikku would accept the invitation that Mizu had offered, regardless of where ever in Spira that they were heading.

"Well, what did you tell him?"

Auron shook his head as he looked down at Rikku, explaining to her that he had told Mizu that he would discuss it with her before accepting or rejecting the offer. After all, he wouldn't have wanted to make a decision that would have gone against her wishes.

Rikku smiled. "Well, you can tell him that we'd love to travel with them!" She stated in an excited voice, while she clasped her hands together out of joy.

Biting her lip, she looked up at Auron curiously. She felt that there was something else about all this that Auron simply just wasn't telling her.

"Is there something wrong with that? Is that decision alright with you?" She asked curiously.

Auron nodded. "It's fine."

"It's fine...but?" Rikku asked crossing her arms and looking up into Auron's eyes. Although his eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, set in a more youthful face were softer than she remembered, there was one thing that seemed not to have changed about these eyes; they were completely unreadable.

With everyone else that she had known, she usually could tell what they were feeling or thinking, (with the exception some times of Lulu.) She knew when something was bothering them, or when something was not being said that should be said.

For Auron however, she could never figure out what he was thinking, just by looking at his eyes.

"The decision you have made to travel with your family is fine with me." Auron stated, crossing his arms and looking down at her.

Rikku smiled, nodded, and then turned away from Auron to return to her conversation with Sora that she had been having before Auron had walked in.

"Alright then, Would you go and tell Mizu that we'd love to come along." She stated before she had turned and walked away.

As Rikku walked away from him, Auron nodded. He would tell Mizu.

* * *

Walking out of the room, Auron frowned, he had felt peace when he had seen Sora and Rikku together, but as soon as he and Rikku had begun to speak in private, that peace just vanished as thoughts of the current situation began to invade his mind.

As soon as she came near him, all he could think about was how life would be different if Rikku wasn't how he remembered her.

Part of him wanted Rikku to lose her memory and let Sora have her memory back, then Mizu, Sora, and Rikku could have the life they should have had. After all, this part reasoned...Sora was back, and needs her memory back, he'll lose Rikku, but she'll be alive...hopefully, and happy. She could start her life over.

But another part of him wanted Rikku to keep her memory and let Sora be. Mizu wouldn't get his wife, but Auron wouldn't have to lose Rikku. Mizu wouldn't get his wife back, but she shouldn't have been here in Spira in the first place! She gave her memory to Rikku, and so it was officially Rikku's now. It was a part of who she was, and it should stay that way. It would be wrong to suddenly tell her to give that up so someone else could return to normal.

What was wrong with him? He thought looking over his shoulder. This shouldn't bother him like this.

Yet, still everything about how he felt about this situation bothered him.

Shaking his head, Auron frowned once more before going back to speak with Mizu.

"So?" Mizu asked as Auron entered into the room once more.

"Rikku has made the decision to travel with you and Sora."

Mizu looked cheerful hearing this, almost as if he could shout and dance right then and there hearing this. Although he knew better than to embarrass himself in front of his old friend by doing such a thing.

Auron sat down on the bed, remaining silent.

"Auron, are you feeling well? What happened earlier isn't happening again is it?" Mizu asked as he took note of his friend's silence.

However the former guardian only remained silent as he stared ahead of him. He shook his head.

Stepping back, Mizu frowned. "So it's something different then? Wish to talk about it?"

Once more the Al Bhed man was met with a silence from the former guardian sitting on the bed.

"...Want me to leave you alone then huh?" Mizu asked before briefly nodding to himself and turning and walking towards the door.

As he reached the door he turned. "If you need anything, Auron. I'll be down the hall." He stated without even turning around to face his friend.

Mizu hesitated for a few seconds before opening the door. If there had been one thing that he had learned in his short time of knowing Auron, it was that if Auron didn't want to talk about what was on his mind right then, he should be patient.

He waited for a few seconds for Auron to speak, hoping his younger friend would decide to speak before he left.

No words came from Auron, though Mizu was starting to understand what was bothering his friend.

As he opened the door he didn't even turn around.

"I want nothing more than for my daughter to be happy." He began without even looking at him. "I hope that you'll understand." He stated closing the door behind him.

* * *

Rikku frowned as she looked towards the wall that separated the room she was in from the one that she knew that Auron was in.

"I don't get him some times." She said as she got to her feet.

Sora raised her eyebrows and looked at Rikku, telling her to go on and continue to explain what she meant by saying that she didn't understand him.

"Never mind it's not important." Rikku stated as she began to pace the room.

Truth was, It was kind of important. There were questions that she had right now, that she just didn't understand. Questions she thought she wouldn't have to be asking about Auron.

Who _was_ he?

She knew most of the basics; he was a guy who was a Shinda, Power of the Dark, Legendary Guardian, and former unsent, former resident of the Farplane.

But now why was he back here in Spira, if it going to the Farplane had been what he wanted?

"If it's something that you can't tell me, perhaps you can ask Sage, when we get to the Shinda City. She is a very smart lady."

"Maybe I will."

As soon as Rikku finished speaking, a small noise was heard from Daren, as he began to wake from his sleep.

"Sora? M-Mizu?" Daren muttered

"Ah, Daren, welcome back. Are you alright?" Sora asked brushing some of the child's hair out of his eyes as he sat up.

"I'm okay." Daren replied in a quiet voice as he looked around the room.

As soon as his eyes fell on Rikku, the little boy let out a gasp, immediately shying to Sora's side, and clinging to her arm tightly.

Rikku gave a small smile, she hadn't figured that Daren was shy.

"Daren, this is Rikku. She's the one who rescued you." Sora said gently to the young child.

"Well, I wasn't alone in rescuing you and you did call out for help. I would have been out there sooner, but I had to get here from Luca."

To this, Daren, released his grasp around Sora's arm slightly, and just stared at Rikku with his large brown eyes.

Sora smiled and gave a little laugh as she placed her hand on Daren's hand, and then looked up at Rikku.

"You'll have to forgive him. Daren is terribly shy of people he doesn't know. Just give him some time and he should warm up to you." Sora explained.

Rikku nodded, and made a comment on how Daren would have plenty of time to get to know her better and see that she was a nice person, since she was going to be traveling with Sora and Mizu from now on.

"Well, I suppose, with all that has happened today, it would be best if we got some dinner. I am sure that you are hungry." Sora said gently as she looked at Daren.

With a nod, Daren got up out of bed, and walked with Sora and Rikku out of the room.

* * *

Auron had been lying on the bed staring at the ceiling since Mizu had left. His friend's last words before leaving had not been of any form of comfort to him.

The door creaked open, and the light-switch was flicked on as light flooded the room.

"Now, there is something you don't see very often, the great Sir Auron relaxing."

"Rikku, what do you want?" Auron asked, without even sitting up to look at Rikku.

Crossing her arms, Rikku took a few steps towards Auron and looked down at him.

"Sora-mom that is- invited us to have dinner with them. I was just coming in to see if you wanted to get something to eat. I know you've got to be hungry, we haven't had anything all morning."

Auron sat up and ran his hand through his hair. It hadn't occurred to him in the last few hours that he was hungry. It had been so long since it had been necessary to eat, that he had almost forgotten what it felt like to be hungry.

Dinner would be nice. He guessed it wouldn't hurt.

* * *

Apparently within the last two years, Rin had decided to add on an additional building to the travel agency, which served as a small dining room for the guests.

There wasn't much to this place, it was just a little room with some tables here and there.

It was rather quaint.

Auron kind of liked it.

When he had sat down at the table, he noticed that the kid that they had rescued, Daren, was sitting beside Sora. As he gave the young boy a brief smile, to show that he acknowledged that the kid was there, he noticed that the kid seemed to be exceptionally shy.

"So, the plan for tomorrow is to get as far as Bevelle." Mizu stated before he took a bite of food and looked around the table.

"Why Bevelle? If we leave early and keep travelling, it is possible to reach the Calm-Lands by mid-day." Auron asked as he looked towards Mizu.

Mizu smiled, "Well, There are a few things that I need to take care of in Bevelle. I have to make a contact with one of the ferryman, so that he will accompany us to the Calm-Lands."

Right, Auron thought, The Ferryman, there would be a couple stationed in Bevelle wouldn't there?

The "ferryman" was a Shinda who usually offered to journey with Shinda who were seeking to head to the city.

There were several ferrymen all around the world, at least one or two in each town, and in order for a Shinda to get to the City they at least had to have a ferryman with them until they reached the Calm-lands.

Obviously the closest ferryman right now, without heading back towards Guadosalam would have been in Bevelle.

Bevelle.

Now there was a place that Auron was wondering about.

He wondered how much it had changed since the Calm started.

Very little, he imagined. He knew from discussing the last few years with Yuna and the others that Bevelle had been having issues recently similar to the issues it had a long time ago.

If anything those issues probably still continued to that day.

"Hopefully we don't get stopped at the gate like last time, with that whole New Yevon thing going on." Mizu stated as he looked over at Daren, who shyly nodded.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem anymore. Last I had heard from Baralai, the former Praetor of New Yevon, the whole organization was in the process of merging with the Youth League and the Machine Faction, he said that 'from now on Bevelle's gates aren't going to be closed to anyone.' and such. So I think we can get into Bevelle just fine." Rikku stated as she looked towards Mizu.

Mizu smiled, it was good to hear that it would be easy to travel into Bevelle.

"Good. Tomorrow morning we're heading out to Bevelle." He said with a smile as he looked over at Rikku.

Rikku smiled for a few seconds, before looking over at Auron.

"It'll be great. Don't you think so Auron?"

Auron forced a smile and nodded.

"Yeah."

* * *

At last it was 2 o'clock in the morning, everyone had already gone to bed, except Auron.

Standing by Rikku's bed, Auron looked down on the sleeping Al Bhed. Seeing her peaceful face, smiling even as she slept, Auron found himself in conflict. His promise was ringing faintly in the back of his head, begging him to stay with her.

Mizu's words echoed in his head overlapping his promise.

As he knelt down beside Rikku's bed, he gently brushed some of her hair out of her closed eyes and gently pressed his lips against her forehead for a brief second.

Rikku stirred in her sleep as Auron's lips made contact with her forehead, but she did not fully wake at his goodbye. Her eyes opened just barely, fighting against sleep's hold. Only a few seconds after Auron had left her side she fell right back into her peaceful sleep,

"This one won't be forever." He whispered to the young Al Bhed. "Goodbye Rikku. I'll see you again soon."

Auron gave a brief look down the hallway towards Mizu and Sora's room.

"I want nothing more than for your daughter to be happy too Mizu.." he whispered.

Closing his eyes briefly, Auron let a sigh escape his lips as he shook his head.

He gave one last look over his shoulder towards Rikku's room before walking out of the Travel Agency.


End file.
